Introductory
SPECIES: Carduus nutans | Musk Thistle 



ABBREVIATION : 
CARNUT

SYNONYMS : 
   Carduus thoermeri Weinm. [12,13]


SCS PLANT CODE : 
   CANU4
   CANUL
   CANUM
   CANUN


COMMON NAMES : 
   musk thistle
   nodding thistle
   nodding plumeless thistle


TAXONOMY : 
This report follows North American literature, using Carduus nutans L.
as the scientific name for the musk thistle complex [1,12,13,15,30].

In North American literature, the scientific name Carduus nutans L. has
been applied to an aggregate of large-flowered plumeless thistles in the
aster (Asteraceae) family.  Some treatments have separated the complex
into the following three subspecies [6,13]:

	C. n. ssp. nutans
	C. n. ssp. macrocephalus (Desf.) Nyman
        C. n. ssp. leiophyllus (Petrovic) Stoj. & Stef.

A biosystematic study of the Carduus nutans complex in Canada showed
that a fourth subspecies, C. n. ssp. macrolepis (Peterm.) Kazmi, could
not be morphologically separated from C. n. ssp. leiophyllus [6].

Detailed treatments of Carduus by European systematists [38] suggest a
three-species classification of the large-flowered Carduus in North
America.  According to Tutin and others [38], the majority of the
complex in North America is C. thoermeri Weinm. (synonymous with C. n.
ssp. leiophyllus).  The other two species are C. nutans L. and C.
macrocephalus Desf.





LIFE FORM : 
Forb

FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS : 
No special status

OTHER STATUS : 
NO-ENTRY


COMPILED BY AND DATE : 
Jennifer H. Carey, December 1994


LAST REVISED BY AND DATE : 
NO-ENTRY


AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION : 
Carey, Jennifer H. 1994. Carduus nutans. In: Remainder of Citation

Related categories for Species: Carduus nutans | Musk Thistle