Cirsium hookerianum / Hooker’s thistle
- clearly a thistle, but with white flowers
- native but not plentiful
- seen at Mahogany Creek in mid-August
Also known as: White thistle
Hooker’s is not a widely known thistle, both because there doesn’t seem to be much of it, and it is not a noxious, invasive, exotic weed. There is also some question about its life history and phenology. It is reported to be perennial and monocarpic, but there seems to be doubt about both aspects. On the US Wildflowers page, there is even some doubt as to whether this is Hooker’s thistle or wavy-leafed thistle (Cirsium undulatum). Given that, for now, the alternative name – white thistle – might be more appropriate.
There is a much better set of photos than I was able to get of a single crowded plant in a meadow in The Valley at the MPG North website. There, there are some additional characteristics listed that might be useful if the white flowers are not (yet) present. In particular, the foliage is “cobweb-like” and woolly, as are the margins of the bracts around the flower heads. The leaves are deeply lobed with spiny margins.
The MPG North site also includes cooking instructions, but given the apparent scarcity of the plant in The Valley, please don’t.
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