DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Carduus nutans | Musk Thistle 



GENERAL DISTRIBUTION : 
Musk thistle, native to Europe and Asia, was introduced into North
America as early as 1853 [32].  It is now naturalized throughout most of
the United States and southern Canada.  It occurs from Nova Scotia west
to British Columbia, south to California, and east to Georgia [5,8,12,13].


ECOSYSTEMS : 
   Musk thistle probably occurs in most ecosystems.


STATES : 
     AL  AZ  AR  CA  CO  CT  DE  GA  ID  IL
     IN  IA  KS  KY  LA  MD  MA  MI  MN  MS
     MO  MT  NE  NV  NJ  NM  NY  NC  ND  OH
     OK  OR  PA  RI  SC  SD  TN  TX  UT  VA
     WA  WV  WI  WY  AB  BC  MB  NB  NS  ON
     PQ  SK


ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS : 
     BIHO  BLCA  CACH  CATO  DEWA  DETO
     FODO  GRTE  MANA  PIPE  SHEN  WICR
     YELL


BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS : 
    1  Northern Pacific Border
    2  Cascade Mountains
    3  Southern Pacific Border
    4  Sierra Mountains
    5  Columbia Plateau
    6  Upper Basin and Range
    7  Lower Basin and Range
    8  Northern Rocky Mountains
    9  Middle Rocky Mountains
   10  Wyoming Basin
   11  Southern Rocky Mountains
   12  Colorado Plateau
   13  Rocky Mountain Piedmont
   14  Great Plains
   15  Black Hills Uplift
   16  Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands


KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS : 
NO-ENTRY


SAF COVER TYPES : 
   237  Interior ponderosa pine


SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES : 
NO-ENTRY


HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES : 
Musk thistle primarily occurs on disturbed sites, rangelands, and
pastures, but it probably occurs in almost all habitats except dense
forests, high mountains, deserts, and newly cultivated fields [32].  In
northeastern Kansas, musk thistle occurs in old fields with Japanese
brome (Bromus japonicus) [23].  In Kentucky, musk thistle occurs in
meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis) fields with Carolina horsenettle
(Solanum carolinense) and groundcherry (Physalis spp.) [18].  In
Colorado, musk thistle occurs beneath interior ponderosa pine (Pinus
ponderosa var. scopulorum) [25].

Graminoids and forbs frequently found with musk thistle and spiny
plumeless thistle (Carduus acanthoides) in Canada are listed by
Desrochers and others [5].

Related categories for Species: Carduus nutans | Musk Thistle