Scotch Thistle

Scientific Name

Onopordum acanthium L. (ITIS)

Common Name

Scotch thistle, cotton thistle, heraldic thistle, woolly thistle

Native To

Eurasia (Briese et al. 2003)

Date of U.S. Introduction

1800s (Schuster and Prather 2003)

Means of Introduction

Ornamental (Schuster and Prather 2003)

Impact

Crowds out desirable forage (Schuster and Prather 2003)

Scotch thistle, flowers

Credit

Photo by Steve Dewey; Utah State University

Source

Invasive.org.

Find more images

Distribution / Maps / Survey Status

Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System (EDDMapS) - Scotch Thistle
- University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
- Provides state, county, point and GIS data. Maps can be downloaded and shared.

Videos

YouTube - Weed of the Week: Scotch Thistle
- Google. YouTube; University of Arizona. Coconino County Cooperative Extension.

All Resources

View and Filter All Scotch Thistle Resources

Selected Resources

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

Council or Task Force

Factsheet - Scotch Thistle [PDF, 968 KB]
- Mar 2017
- Invasive Species Council of British Columbia (Canada).
- See also: Publications for more resources
Priority Species: Scotch Thistle
- Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office. Washington Invasive Species Council.

Partnership

Global Invasive Species Database - Onopordum acanthium (herb)
- IUCN. Species Survival Commission. Invasive Species Specialist Group.
Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States - Scotch Thistle
- University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
Invasive Species Compendium - Onopordum acanthium
- CAB International.
Texas Invasives Database - Onopordum acanthium
- TexasInvasives.org.
Weeds Australia - Onopordum L.
- Centre for Invasive Species Solutions; Atlas of Living Australia; Australian Government. Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment.

Federal Government

PLANTS Database - Scotch Cottonthistle
- USDA. NRCS. National Plant Data Center.
U.S. National Plant Germplasm System - Onopordum acanthium
- USDA. ARS. National Genetic Resources Program. GRIN-Global.

International Government

NSW WeedWise: Scotch Thistle
- New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (Australia).
Weeds Information - Scotch Thistle
- Victoria Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions (Australia). Agriculture.

State and Local Government

Class B Noxious Weed: Scotch Thistle
- Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board.
Encycloweedia: Data Sheet - Onopordum genus
- California Department of Food and Agriculture.
- See also: Included on California's noxious weed list; see Encycloweedia: Program Details for additional resources
Noxious Weed Species ID - Scotch Thistle
- Colorado Department of Agriculture. Conservation Services Division. Noxious Weed Program.

Academic

Weed Control in Natural Areas in the Western United States: Scotch Thistle [PDF, 262 KB]
- 2013
- University of California. Weed Research and Information Center.
- See also: Weeds in Natural Areas for more information sheets
Scotch Thistle - PNW 569
- Sep 2003
- University of Idaho; Oregon State University; Washington State University. Pacific Northwest Extension.

Professional

Noxious Weed Information - Scotch Thistle
- Colorado Weed Management Association.

Citations

Briese, D.T., S. Bottcher, J. Vitou, and T. Thomann. 2003. Prevalence and impact of the crown fly, Botanophila spinosa, on its host thistle, Onopordum acanthium, in southern France. Acta Oecologica 24(2):77-86.
Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Onopordum acanthium. [Accessed Sep 22, 2023].
Schuster, M., and T.S. Prather. 2003. Scotch thistle Pacific Northwest Extension Publication PNW 569.

Scotch Thistle

Find more images

Distribution / Maps / Survey Status

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

Videos

YouTube - Weed of the Week: Scotch Thistle

All Resources

Selected Resources

Factsheet - Scotch Thistle [PDF, 968 KB]

Priority Species: Scotch Thistle

Global Invasive Species Database - Onopordum acanthium (herb)

Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States - Scotch Thistle

Invasive Species Compendium - Onopordum acanthium

Texas Invasives Database - Onopordum acanthium

Weeds Australia - Onopordum L.

PLANTS Database - Scotch Cottonthistle

U.S. National Plant Germplasm System - Onopordum acanthium

NSW WeedWise: Scotch Thistle

Weeds Information - Scotch Thistle

Class B Noxious Weed: Scotch Thistle

Encycloweedia: Data Sheet - Onopordum genus

Noxious Weed Species ID - Scotch Thistle

Weed Control in Natural Areas in the Western United States: Scotch Thistle [PDF, 262 KB]

Scotch Thistle - PNW 569

Noxious Weed Information - Scotch Thistle