Canada Thistle

Scientific Name

Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop (ITIS)

Common Name

Canada thistle, Californian thistle, Canadian thistle, creeping thistle, field thistle, corn thistle, perennial thistle, field thistle

Native To

Europe (Jacob, Sciegienka and Menalled 2006)

Date of U.S. Introduction

1600s (Jacob, Sciegienka and Menalled 2006)

Means of Introduction

Possibly accidental through farm seed shipments

Impact

Crowds out native species (Stachion and Zimdahl 1980); reduces crop and forage yields (Moore 1975)

Canada thistle, flowers in South Dakota

Credit

Photo by Chris Evans; University of Illinois

Source

Invasive.org.

Find more images

Distribution / Maps / Survey Status

Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System (EDDMapS) - Canada Thistle
- University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
- Provides state, county, point and GIS data. Maps can be downloaded and shared.
Pest Tracker - Survey Status of Canada Thistle
- USDA. APHIS. Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey. National Agricultural Pest Information System.

Videos

YouTube - Canada Thistle Noxious Weed
- Google. YouTube; Montana Department of Agriculture.

All Resources

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Selected Resources

The section below contains highly relevant resources for this species, organized by source.

Council or Task Force

Factsheet - Canada Thistle [PDF, 2.03 MB]
- Mar 2019
- Invasive Species Council of British Columbia (Canada).
- See also: Publications for more resources
Fact Sheet: Canada Thistle [PDF, 481 KB]
- Jan 2014
- Alberta Invasive Species Council (Canada).
- See also: Fact Sheets for more information about individual invasive species, including those listed as "Prohibited Noxious" and "Noxious" under the Alberta Weed Control Act
Invasive Plants of California's Wildlands - Cirsium arvense
- California Invasive Plant Council.
- In online book: Bossard, C.C., J.M. Randall, and M.C. Hoshovsky (Editors). 2000. Invasive Plants of California's Wildlands. University of California Press. Berkeley, CA
Invasive Plants of Ohio: Fact Sheet 14 - Canada Thistle [PDF, 214 KB]
- Ohio Invasive Plants Council.
- See also: Invasive Plants of Ohio for worst invasive plant species identified in Ohio's natural areas

Partnership

Alaska Exotic Plants Information Clearinghouse (AKEPIC): Species Biography - Canada Thistle [PDF, 142 KB]
- Feb 7, 2011
- University of Alaska - Anchorage. Alaska Center for Conservation Science.
- See also: Non-Native Plant Species List for additional factsheets (species biographies) and species risk assessment reports of non-native species present in Alaska and also non-native species currently not recorded in Alaska (potential invasives)
Federal Noxious Weed Disseminules of the U.S. - Fact Sheet: Cirsium arvense
- USDA. APHIS. PPQ. Center for Plant Health Science and Technology; California Department of Food and Agriculture.
Global Invasive Species Database - Cirsium arvense (herb)
- IUCN. Species Survival Commission. Invasive Species Specialist Group.
Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States - Canada Thistle
- University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
Invasive Species Compendium - Cirsium arvense
- CAB International.
Weeds Australia - Perennial Thistle (Cirsium arvense)
- Centre for Invasive Species Solutions; Atlas of Living Australia; Australian Government. Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment.

Federal Government

Ecology and Management of Canada thistle [Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop.] [PDF, 977KB]
- Sep 2006
- USDA. Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) - Cirsium arvense
- USDA. FS. Rocky Mountain Research Station. Fire Sciences Laboratory.
PLANTS Database - Canada Thistle
- USDA. NRCS. National Plant Data Center.
U.S. National Plant Germplasm System - Cirsium arvense
- USDA. ARS. National Genetic Resources Program. GRIN-Global.

State and Local Government

Invasive Species Best Control Practices - Canada Thistle [PDF, 410 KB]
- Mar 2018
- Michigan Department of Natural Resource; Michigan State University Extension. Michigan Natural Features Inventory.
- See also: Best Control Practice Guides for more guides
Canada Thistle
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Class C Noxious Weed: Canada Thistle
- Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board.
Field Guide: Invasive - Canada Thistle
- Missouri Department of Conservation.
- See also: Invasive and Problem Plant Control (scroll to Invasive Plants section) for more information to help you identify and control most common invasive plants in Missouri
Invasive Plants in Pennsylvania: Canada Thistle [PDF, 576 KB]
- Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
- See also: Invasive Plant Fact Sheets for plant species (trees, shrubs, vines, herbs and aquatic plants) that have impacted the state's natural lands
Noxious Weed Species ID - Canada Thistle
- Colorado Department of Agriculture. Conservation Services Division. Noxious Weed Program.

Academic

Cornell Weed Identification - Canada Thistle
- Cornell University.
Natural Resources Series: Range - Canada Thistle
- Colorado State University Extension.
Noxious Weeds of Nebraska - Canada Thistle
- University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Cooperative Extension.
Ohio Perennial & Biennial Weed Guide - Canada Thistle
- Ohio State University. Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center.

Professional

Weed Identification - Canada Thistle
- Montana Weed Control Association.

Citations

Integrated Taxonomic Information System.Cirsium arvense. [Accessed Apr 6, 2023].
Moore, R.J. 1975. The biology of Canadian weeds: 13. Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 55(4):1033-1048.
Jacobs, J., J. Sciegienka, and F. Menalled. 2006. Ecology and Management of Canada thistle [Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop.] [PDF, 977KB]. Invasive Species Technical Note No. MT-5. USDA. National Resources Conservation Service.
Stachion, W.J. and R.L. Zimdahl. 1980. Allelopathic activity of Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) in Colorado. Weed Science 28:83-86.

Find more images

Distribution / Maps / Survey Status

Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System (EDDMapS) - Canada Thistle

Pest Tracker - Survey Status of Canada Thistle

Videos

YouTube - Canada Thistle Noxious Weed

All Resources

Selected Resources

Factsheet - Canada Thistle [PDF, 2.03 MB]

Fact Sheet: Canada Thistle [PDF, 481 KB]

Invasive Plants of California's Wildlands - Cirsium arvense

Invasive Plants of Ohio: Fact Sheet 14 - Canada Thistle [PDF, 214 KB]

Alaska Exotic Plants Information Clearinghouse (AKEPIC): Species Biography - Canada Thistle [PDF, 142 KB]

Federal Noxious Weed Disseminules of the U.S. - Fact Sheet: Cirsium arvense

Global Invasive Species Database - Cirsium arvense (herb)

Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States - Canada Thistle

Invasive Species Compendium - Cirsium arvense

Weeds Australia - Perennial Thistle (Cirsium arvense)

Ecology and Management of Canada thistle [Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop.] [PDF, 977KB]

Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) - Cirsium arvense

PLANTS Database - Canada Thistle

U.S. National Plant Germplasm System - Cirsium arvense

Invasive Species Best Control Practices - Canada Thistle [PDF, 410 KB]

Canada Thistle

Class C Noxious Weed: Canada Thistle

Field Guide: Invasive - Canada Thistle

Invasive Plants in Pennsylvania: Canada Thistle [PDF, 576 KB]

Noxious Weed Species ID - Canada Thistle

Cornell Weed Identification - Canada Thistle

Natural Resources Series: Range - Canada Thistle

Noxious Weeds of Nebraska - Canada Thistle

Ohio Perennial & Biennial Weed Guide - Canada Thistle

Weed Identification - Canada Thistle