Marsh Thistle (Cirsium palustre)



The marsh thistle is another common member of the thistle genus which is mainly found, as the name implies, in marshes, damp meadows and grassland, by rivers and ponds, damp wood;and areas; indeed anywhere the soil is damp (some of the time at least).

This plant has a tall central stem (which is very prickly) from which other stems occasionally shoot out to the sides and the the end of each stem you get this tight cluster of small purple flowers, just a few in flower at any one time.

A common thistle across the county, it flowers from July to September. It is really distinctive once you recognise its main features.

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