About Onopordum tauricum Willd.
Onopordum tauricum, commonly called the Taurian thistle or bull cottonthistle, is a species of thistle. It is native to Eurasia, and has been introduced to Australia and the western United States, where it readily becomes a noxious weed, similarly to its close relative Onopordum acanthium.
This species is a biennial herb that grows a sticky, glandular, very spiny stem that can reach up to 2 meters in height. Its spiny bright light green leaves can grow up to 25 centimeters long, and are divided into triangular lobes. Its inflorescence consists of several large flower heads, each up to 7 centimeters wide. These flower heads are lined with long, spiny phyllaries, and hold pink-purple tubular flowers up to 3 centimeters long.
