Canada thistle is an aggressive, creeping perennial weed that infests crops, pastures, gardens, rangeland, roadsides, parks, and other noncrop areas. Generally, infestations start on disturbed ground, including ditch banks, overgrazed pastures, tilled fields or abandoned sites. Cattle typically will not graze near infestations. It is very difficult to control because it reproduces from vegetative buds in its root system and from seeds which can be viable in soils for up to 22 years.

Horizontal roots may extend 15 feet or more and vertical roots may grow up to 15 feet deep. Canada thistle emerges from its root system in mid-to-late spring (late April through May) and forms rosettes. It begins to flower in late spring to early summer.

NMSU’s Extension Weed Specialist Dr. Leslie Beck on the Canada Thistle

This video is specific to Canada thistle in Taos County and was the result of a collaboration between Taos Soil & Water Conservation District and New Mexico State University.

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Other names for Canada Thistle

Hardheads, Turkestan Thistle, Centaurea repens, Rhaponticum repens

Classification

Kingdom – Plants – Plantae
Division – Flowering Plants – Anthophyta
Class – Dicots – Dicotyledoneae
Order – Aster/Sunflowers – Asterales
—- Family – Aster/Sunflowers – Asteraceae
—– Species – Russian Knapweed – Acroptilon repens

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Tristique blandit faucibus gravida vitae magnis tincidunt mattis mus turpis fringilla, iaculis habitant pellentesque natoque habitasse massa venenatis enim congue torquent nisl, accumsan volutpat interdum fusce ut potenti purus viverra pharetra.

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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipiscing elit, metus ante posuere eget viverra mus ultricies lacinia, mauris felis urna duis mattis laoreet. Ut eros non facilisi interdum bibendum leo ullamcorper felis erat accumsan nam, lobortis condimentum netus aliquam suspendisse ultrices vivamus pulvinar mauris vehicula semper inceptos, maecenas lacus nullam sodales risus gravida aliquet convallis orci purus. Tincidunt pulvinar placerat rutrum dapibus semper nam congue mus enim aliquet, lacus malesuada eu justo mauris odio tempus nascetur.

Tristique blandit faucibus gravida vitae magnis tincidunt mattis mus turpis fringilla, iaculis habitant pellentesque natoque habitasse massa venenatis enim congue torquent nisl, accumsan volutpat interdum fusce ut potenti purus viverra pharetra.

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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipiscing elit, metus ante posuere eget viverra mus ultricies lacinia, mauris felis urna duis mattis laoreet. Ut eros non facilisi interdum bibendum leo ullamcorper felis erat accumsan nam, lobortis condimentum netus aliquam suspendisse ultrices vivamus pulvinar mauris vehicula semper inceptos, maecenas lacus nullam sodales risus gravida aliquet convallis orci purus. Tincidunt pulvinar placerat rutrum dapibus semper nam congue mus enim aliquet, lacus malesuada eu justo mauris odio tempus nascetur.

Tristique blandit faucibus gravida vitae magnis tincidunt mattis mus turpis fringilla, iaculis habitant pellentesque natoque habitasse massa venenatis enim congue torquent nisl, accumsan volutpat interdum fusce ut potenti purus viverra pharetra.