EOL-media-509-40469322

Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
TitleCarduus pycnocephalus plant7 ST (14942656513).jpg
Rating2.5
VettedTrusted
Original URLhttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Carduus_pycnocephalus_plant7_ST_(14942656513)...
Description
DescriptionAPI Introduced, cool season, annual or biennial, erect herb usually 0.6-1 m tall. Leaves form rosettes when young; they are lobed, spiny & slightly woolly below; rosette leaves may have white patches. Stems are slightly woolly or cobwebby & have spiny discontinuous wings along their length. Heads are cylindrical, solitary or in clusters of 2-3 and occur on short peduncles. Florets are tubular and pinkish-purple. Germinates in autumn & flowering is in spring. Mostly occurs in areas with more than 500 mm rainfall on soils of moderate to high fertility (e.g. stock camps, rabbit diggings, etc.). Establishes readily in bare, disturbed patches in paddocks, roadsides, waste ground & around cultivated areas. Seeds are spread by wind or by animals. Competitive with pastures & is avoided by stock due to spines. Can contaminate wool & cause mechanical injury to stock & farm dogs. Potentially toxic to stock due to nitrate levels. Dense pasture cover at the end of summer will inhibit germination. Slashing close to flowering can reduce seed set, but results are inconsistent. Grazing with goats can also reduce seed set. Effective control in pastures can be achieved by boom spraying small plants; spray-grazing at the rosette stage and chipping or spot spraying isolated plants. Date 10 October 2014, 09:11 Source Carduus pycnocephalus plant7 ST Author Harry Rose from South West Rocks, Australia
creatorHarry Rose
sourceFlickr user ID macleaygrassman
providerWikimedia Commons
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith