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National Invasive Species Information Center
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Home / Terrestrial Invasives / Terrestrial Plants / Yellow Star Thistle

Yellow Star Thistle

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Yellow Star Thistle
Yellow star thistle, flower - Photo by Cindy Roche
Scientific Name: 
Centaurea solstitialis L. (ITIS)
Common Name: 
Yellow star thistle, geeldissel, golden star thistle, St. Barnaby's thistle, yellow centaury, yellow cockspur
Native To: 
Eurasia (Zouhar 2002)
Date of U.S. Introduction: 
1800s (Zouhar 2002)
Means of Introduction: 
Accidentally through contaminated seed (Zouhar 2002)
Impact: 
Crowds out native species; toxic to horses (Zouhar 2002)

Distribution / Maps / Survey Status

Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System (EDDMapS) - Yellow Starthistle
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 Yellow Starthistle
USDA. APHIS. Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey. National Agricultural Pest Information System.

Images

Google Images - Yellow Star Thistle
Google.
Invasive.org - Yellow Starthistle
University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.

Videos

YouTube - Montana's Noxious Weeds: Yellow Star Thistle

Google. YouTube; Montana Department of Agriculture.

Selected Resources

The section below contains highly relevant resources for this species, organized by source. Or, to display all related content view all resources for Yellow Star Thistle.

Council or Task Force
Fact Sheet: Yellow Starthistle (Jan 2014) (PDF | 255 KB)
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 - Centaurea solstitialis

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
Priority Species: Yellow Starthistle

Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office. Washington Invasive Species Council.

Partnership
Global Invasive Species Database - Centaurea solstitialis (herb)
IUCN. Species Survival Commission. Invasive Species Specialist Group.
Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States - Yellow Starthistle
University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
Invasive Species Compendium - Centaurea solstitialis
CAB International.
Texas Invasives Database - Centaurea solstitialis
TexasInvasives.org.
Weeds Australia - St Barnaby's Thistle (Centaurea solstitialis)

Centre for Invasive Species Solutions; Atlas of Living Australia; Australian Government. Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment.

Federal Government
Biology and Biological Control of Yellow Starthistle - FHTET-2016-08 (Jun 2017, 4th Ed) (PDF | 17.5 MB)

USDA. FS. Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team.

See also: FHAAST Publications for more resources

Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) - Centaurea solstitialis
USDA. FS. Rocky Mountain Research Station. Fire Sciences Laboratory.
PLANTS Database - Yellow Star-thistle
USDA. NRCS. National Plant Data Center.
U.S. National Plant Germplasm System - Centaurea solstitialis

USDA. ARS. National Genetic Resources Program. GRIN-Global.

State and Local Government
Agricultural Brochure - Yellow Starthistle (PDF | 235 KB)
Plumas-Sierra Noxious Weeds Management Group (California).
See also: Agricultural Brochures for more species
Class B Noxious Weed: Yellow Starthistle
Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board.
Encycloweedia: Data Sheet - Centaurea genus
California Department of Food and Agriculture.
See also: Included on California's noxious weed list; see Encycloweedia: Program Details for additional resources
Minnesota Noxious Weeds - Yellow Star Thistle

Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

Noxious Weed Species - Yellow Starthistle

Colorado Department of Agriculture. Conservation Services Division. Noxious Weed Program.

Academic
MontGuide - Yellow Starthistle: Identification, Biology and Integrated Management (2017)
Montana State University Extension.
Yellow Starthistle: Ecology and Management on Pacific Northwest Rangelands (Jan 2008)
Oregon State University. Extension Service.
Pest Notes: Yellow Starthistle
University of California. Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program.
See also: Pest Notes are peer-reviewed scientific publications about specific pests or pest management topics, directed at California's home and landscape audiences.
Professional
Noxious Weed Information - Yellow Starthistle
Colorado Weed Management Association.
Weed Identification - Yellow Starthistle
Montana Weed Control Association.

Citations

  • Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Centaurea solstitialis. [Accessed Sep 10, 2014].
  • Zouhar, K. 2002. Centaurea solstitialis. In: Fire Effects Information System. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory.