Cirsium discolor
This member of the sunflower family sports purple flowers (rarely white) surrounded by sepal-like bracts that end in long, colorless bristles. The flower heads are 1.25 - 2 inches ( 3.2 - 5 cm) across and are embraced by the upper leaves. The leaves are whitish and woolly on the underside. This biennial grows 3 - 7 feet (1 - 2.1 m) tall and is common in thickets, fields, pastures, along roadsides and the edge of woods. Plant flowers during August and September.The field thistle can be distinguished from it's close relative the Bull Thistle (C. vulgare) by the plant's lack of wings on the stem.
