Selected Plants of Navajo Rangelands

Diné bikéyah Chi’l nooséłígíí Bąąhą́ą́nosin

Take care of our Navajo Rangelands

Thistle, Scotch

(a.k.a. scotch cottonthistle )

Zéé hókanííł béí, Whosh Waa’

Thistle growing among dense grasses in a grassland habitat

Amy Smith Muise

Scotch thistle is a noxious, biennial weed that grows up to 12 feet tall. It has spiny wings along the stem. The leaves have a grayish appearance due to dense hairs on the surface. Flowers are reddish to violet. Scotch thistle is often associated with waste places and roadways, as well as rivers, streams, canals, or other waterways,

It can also be abundant in dry pastures, fields, and rangeland, and thrives in light, well-drained, and sandy or stony soils.

Brushland growth habit showing tall stems with multiple branches, each containing several flowers

Amy Smith Muise

A dense stand of thistle, showing invasive tendencies

Renee Benally

A bud that is about to open. The tip is reddish, but the rest of the bud is covered in spiny green bracts

Lesley Ingram, Bugwood.org

Spiny, lobed leaves sheltering equally spiny buds

Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org

Close-up of a bud about to open. The tip of this bud is an orangey yellow

Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org

Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org

Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org

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