Thursday, July 02, 2009

Giant Thistle

Do you recall the day you sat on the thistle? Would you have thought these things can outgrow you?


That plant is about 2m high. Would make for a nice Christmas tree.

14 comments:

  1. Cirsium arvense is a species of Cirsium, native throughout Europe and northern Asia, and widely introduced elsewhere. The standard English name in its native area is Creeping Thistle.[1][2][3] A number of other names have been used in the past or in other areas (see below).

    As to a tree, maybe in terms of a "Charlie Brown" Christmas, Bee?:)

    IN the fields of Canada this weed is exterminated when found and trying to remove it is extremely hard since they seem to propagate so easily and spread. Even fire used in previous attempts does not seem to hurt the seeds that are generated as we tried to eliminate them from moving into the fields.

    Best,

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  2. One day, Plato, I will succeed in writing a post not even you have anything meaningful to comment on ;-)

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  3. Oh Bee... artichokes, 4-5 feet high. The American southwest decorates for Official Christmas with tumbleweeds and century plant flower spikes.

    Canada must extended its policies of (exploiting what for others is trash beyond) desperate immigration and random acts of healthcare. Canada could be the head cheese of nations - chewy, flavorful, minimizing incremental landfill.

    First Americans. "We'll have none of it."

    Ottawa, "Nunavut is yours."

    First Americans, "We still want free snowmobiles and high powered rifles every spring.

    Ottawa, "Only if you drive drunk and shoot on the fly."

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  4. Should have added probably that the photo wasn't taken in Canada but Germany. I think it's pretty creepy indeed that plant.

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  5. Jack and the Beanstalk has a modern sequel - Bee and the Thistle?

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  6. About days ago I saw such a thistle
    here (some 50 km southwest from Heidelberg,
    where Stefan presumably made this picture)
    for the first time in my life.
    And, as in Stefans picture, the
    leafs looked as if coated with some
    fine white powder.
    This is in contradiction to the pictures of circsium arvense
    found elsewhere in the internet,
    they show the usual green.
    Maybe both thistles suffer from
    a kind of mildew?
    Regards
    Georg

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  7. Hi Georg,

    It wasn't Stefan who took the photo but me. Sorry about the confusion, I'm presently in Germany (on my way to a conference). We're a little closer to Heidelberg. I've seen one of these things before though in the Frankfurt area, like, in '95 or so on a lawn that nobody had felt responsible for for years. I always thought I should have taken a photo. Best,

    B.

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  8. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  9. Hi Plato,


    Of course you know weed is a subjective term, as the same one person's blessing is another’s curse . Like for example the dandelion is also considered a scourge by many since is displaces the grass in our lawns and some feel destroys its singular symmetry. Interestingly enough it was first introduced by our European forefathers as a salad green with great. nutritional value. Later others found it has some utility in making a beverage able to lift our spirits. In contrast except for the smell of a rose I’ve found it to be quite a nuisance and a potential danger, since it requires great resource and effort to maintain and yet can cause one pain if approached to closely. A rose by any other name would still surely prick you, would be the counterexample for Shakespeare’s analogy:-)


    Best,


    Phil

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  10. Hi Phil,

    Yes subjective for sure, but in terms of fields with regard to ancient forbears, such a vision had to be moved to one of height and hence proportion. Societies could then imbue in it's description of, with the things as well you know, agriculture by Roman discourse?

    Sort of like knowing a Bee can sting, yet honey by topical substance sticky, can be offered as a wine called Meade?

    Subjectively true, the thorn can be pleasing in terms of it's architecture, as a honeycomb can be to a Bee?:)

    Best,

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  11. Looks more like Onopordum acanthium (Cotton Thistle).

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  12. Right!
    This "Cotton Thistle" (Eselsdistel)
    etc. looks exactly like the thistle
    I have seen and the thistle on Bees's picture.
    Georg

    ReplyDelete

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