Cirsium vulgare (Savi) Ten., Asteraceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results: 

Reject, score: 21 (Go to the risk assessment (Australia))
High risk, score: 18.5 (Go to the risk assessment (Pacific))

Other Latin names:  Cirsium lanceolatum (L.) Scop.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: yi ji

English: Scotch thistle, Scotish thistle, black thistle, boar thistle, bull thistle, common thistle, green thistle, spear thistle

French: chardon, chardon lancéolé, chardon vulgaire, cirse commun, gros chardon, piqueux

Hawaiian: pua kala

Japanese: Amerika-oni-azami

Rapa Nui: kaiore

Spanish: cardo lanceolado, cardo negro, negro

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Biennial herbs 5-15 dm tall; stems conspicuously spiny-winged from the decurrent leaf bases, spreading hirsute to arachnoid pubescent.  Leaves oblanceolate to elliptic, 10-20 (-40) cm long, 3-8 cm wide, upper surface with pungent bristles, lower surface arachnoid pubescent to hirsute, coarsely toothed to irregularly pinnatifid, the larger lobes toothed or lobed, base decurrent for the whole internode or the upper ones less so.  Heads several; involucre 2.5-4 cm high, 2-4 cm in diameter, sparsely arachnoid pubescent to woolly, the bracts spine-tipped, the spines 2-3.5 mm long; corollas purple, 26-36 mm long.  Achenes 3-5 mm long"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 287).

"Herbacée bisanuelle dressée atteignant 1 à 1,5 m de hauteur, reconnaissable à ses rosettes de grandes feuilles épineuses et ses tiges d’inflorescences dressées portant des capitules de fleurs de couleur rose à mauve, produites lors de la seconde année de croissance. Ses petits fruits secs (akènes) de couleur brun-doré sont munies d’un pappus plumeux leur permettant une dispersion sur de longues distances par le vent" (Meyer, 2008; p. 18).

Habitat/ecology:  "Grows on a wide variety of soil types and under various moisture conditions and can tolerate a salt content of 2%. It thrives best in deep fertile, well-aerated soil that does not become too hot, and is less common in light, dry soil types. "It is abundant wherever the soil crust has been disturbed, e.g. along roads, river banks, dam margins and fences, or on severely overgrazed and trampled grazing land. It does not do well on regularly cultivated lands" (Ecoport).

In Hawai‘i, "naturalized in relatively dry to mesic areas" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 287). In New Caledonia, "paru vers 1969 dans des localités dispersées de la partie Sud de la côte Ouest, infestant rapidement des superficies importantes. Sa progression paraît s'être ralentie depuis" (MacKee, 1994; p. 33).

Propagation:  "Propagation is by means of seed only. The hairy plume makes it more suitable for wind dispersal but since the silky hairs are easily detachable, this method of seed dispersal is not very effective. Some seeds are distributed by floodwaters, or they adhere to mud on vehicles, implements and animals. Birds eat the seeds and also collect the silken tassels for their nests. Birds, baboons and other animals spread the seed from open ground to the trees or bushes where they hide. Another method of dispersal is when seeds or fragments of the plant are gathered with the harvest and are then dispersed in bales of stock feed, hay or in grain crops.

"Seed remains viable for a long time. After germination seedlings grow slowly and are not very resistant to competition or shading by other plants." (Ecoport)

Native range:  "Indigenous to Europe including British Isles and Scandinavia, as well as Western Asia, but it has now spread to virtually all temperate zones of the world. Countries in which it has assumed pest proportions include the USA, Canada, Argentina, Hawai‘i, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa." (Ecoport)

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia (Pacific offshore islands) Lord Howe Island	Lord Howe Island	introduced	Pickard, J. (1984) (p. 205)
Australia (Pacific offshore islands) Lord Howe Island	Lord Howe Island	introduced invasive	Orchard, Anthony E., ed. (1994) (p. 18) "An often noxious weed of wasteland, neglected pastures etc." Vouchers cited: J. Pickard (NSW), A.C. Beauglehole 5658 (CANB, MEL), J. Pickard 3475 (NSW), J. Pickard in A.N. Rodd 1337 (NSW), J. Pickard 2782 (NSW)
Chile (offshore islands) Rapa Nui (Easter) Island	Rapa Nui (Easter) Island (Isla de Pasqua)	introduced invasive	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2008) (pp. 18, 28) "Espèce pionnière et héliophile, elle colonise principalement les zones ouvertes et perturbées (zones de pâturages, lisières de forêt, bords de routes, berges de rivières). Son invasion serait favorisée par le surpâturage et les incendies. Sa dynamique d’invasion à Rapa Nui a été explosive, liée à la fois à la dispersion des graines par le vent et à la forte perturbation des milieux (surpâturage, incendie)" (Meyer, 2008; pp. 18-19).
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más Afuera (Alejandro Selkirk Island)	introduced	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más Afuera (Alejandro Selkirk Island)	introduced	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (pp. 457, 458, 552) "Planta colectada por C. Skottsberg en 1917. Nunca hemos encontrado esta especie en terreno. Se trata posiblemente de una adventicia histórica; sin embargo esta especie, presente en el continente, tiene tendencia a multiplicarse fácilmente y merece estar presente en la memoria de los botánicos a la hora de trabajar en estas islas".
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 287) Voucher cited: Rock 3315 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaho‘olawe Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 287)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 287)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Lāna‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 287)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Ni‘ihau, Lehua Islet	introduced invasive	Wood, K. R./LeGrande, Maya (2006) (p. 20) Single dead plant observed on this survey.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 287)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 287)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 287)
New Caledonia New Caledonia	New Caledonia Islands	introduced invasive	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2000) (p. 99)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive	Gargominy, Oliver/Bouchet, Philipe/Pascal, Michel/Jaffre, Tanguy/Tourneu, Jean-Christophe (1996) (p. 379) Parue dans des localités dispersées du Sud de la côte Ouest, infestant rapidement des superficies importantes
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive	Tassin, Jacques (2005)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 33) Vouchers cited: Ferré in MacKee 22373, Ayard in MacKee 27180, Aymard in MacKee 27316, MacKee 31206, MacKee 31998
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Leprédour	introduced invasive	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 33) Voucher cited: Veillon 1942
New Zealand (offshore islands) Kermadec Islands	Kermadec Islands	introduced invasive	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 311) "Waste land, roadsides, pastures, gardens, cultivated land, disturbed forest".
New Zealand (offshore islands) Kermadec Islands	Raoul Island	introduced invasive	Sykes, W. R./West, C. J. (1996) (p. 450)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	New South Wales	introduced invasive	National Herbarium of New South Wales (2013) Naturalised
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)	introduced invasive	National Herbarium of New South Wales (2013) South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia Naturalised
Australia Australia (continental)	Northern Territory		Holm, Leroy/Doll, Jerry/Holm, Eric/Pancho, Jaun/Herberger, James (1997) (p. 207)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced invasive	National Herbarium of New South Wales (2013) Naturalised
British Columbia (province of Canada) Province of British Columbia	Canada (British Columbia)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Guatemala (Republic of)		Holm, Leroy/Doll, Jerry/Holm, Eric/Pancho, Jaun/Herberger, James (1997) (p. 214)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Farmlands, wet grasslands; 400-1800 m. N Xinjiang.
Japan Japan	Japan	introduced	Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro (2004) (p. 189)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced invasive	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 311) "Waste land, roadsides, pastures, gardens, cultivated land, disturbed forest".
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Chile (Republic of)	introduced invasive	Belov, Michail (2013)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Pichincha Naturalized
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Perú (Republic of)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Cuzco Naturalized
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Oregon)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Washington)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Canada Canada	Canada	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)

Control: 

Physical:  "Mowing later in the season, e.g. just before seed dispersal, proved to be effective in reducing populations" (Weber, 2003; p. 110). .

"La lutte manuelle (par arrachage de la rosette de feuilles) est difficile en raison de la racine pivotante et des feuilles épineuses" (Meyer, 2008; p. 19).

Chemical:  "Seedlings can be treated with herbicides containing MCPA, 2,4-D, dicamba or picloram"  (Weber, 2003; p. 110).

"La lutte chimique avec un herbicide (à base de glyphosate, trichlopyr, dicamba ou diméthylamide « MCPA », Parsons & Cuthbertson, 2004) est utilisable uniquement sur de petites surfaces et par pulvérisation sur la plante en phase rosette et sur les plantules" (Meyer, 2008; p. 19).

Biological:  Biological control information from the publication "Biological control of invasive plants in the eastern United States".

"La lutte biologique avec l’introduction d’insectes phytophages (Coléoptères Curculionidés ou charançons) a été utilisée depuis une quarantaine d’années au Canada, en Afrique du Sud, en Nouvelle-Zélande, en Australie et aux Etats-Unis (Julien & Griffiths, 1998). Le « Department of Plant Industries » de l’état de Victoria en Australie a relâché l’insecte Urophora stylata (« seed gall fly », Diptères, Tephritidés) à la fin des années 80. Une évaluation des résultats de la lutte biologique menée entre 2001-2003 a montré que les galles et les larves étaient présentes sur 17 à 83% des capitules dans trois sites étudiés, avec une réduction de la production de graines de 28 à 46% sur un site (Jean-Louis Sagliocco, Quarantine Manager, Biosciences Research Division, DPI, Victoria, comm. pers. 2008)"  (Meyer, 2008; p. 19).