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DESCRIPTION:
Milkthistle (also called blessed milkthistle) is a common summer annual or biannual
broadleaf. Seedlings have thick, succulent seed leaves, oval and 0.75 to 1
inch (19 - 25 mm) long. The first true leaves are spiny and mottled white around
the
veins. Mature plants are stiff, two to six feet tall, and sparsely branched.
Lower leaves are up to 2 feet (60 cm) long, with leaf size diminishing towards
the top of the plant. Leaves are spiny and
deeply lobed with leaf bases that wrap around the stem. All leaves show a characteristic
white mottling or marbling around veins that distinguishes milkthistle from
other related weedy species
such as prickly lettuce,
annual sowthistle,
Canada thistle, and bull thistle. Flowers are
nearly spherical, reddish purple to purple, and shiny. Flower bracts sport spines
up to 2 inches (5 cm)
long. The smooth, flat fruit are one-seeded, 0.25 inch (6 mm) long, and shiny
with several finely hooked bristles. The fruit are linked at the base and detach
as
a unit
at maturity.
Broadleaf ID illustration.
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