Prickly invasive thistle spotted growing on a Newfoundland city street
iNaturalist: ggraydon
Invasive Species
That spiky purple-flowered weed pushing through sidewalk cracks near you might be Bull Thistle, a European import that outcompetes native plants and this kind of neighborhood sighting helps track exactly how far it's spread.
Someone out for a walk in St. John's spotted a Bull Thistle growing on Duckworth Street and logged it on iNaturalist, where other naturalists confirmed the identification, making it a research grade record. Bull Thistle is a spiny, purple flowering plant originally from Europe that now grows widely across North America, often in disturbed urban soil like sidewalk edges and vacant lots.
Key Findings
Observation reached research-grade status on iNaturalist, meaning the species ID was confirmed by community consensus.
Location: Duckworth Street, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, an urban street setting.
Cirsium vulgare (Bull Thistle) is a non-native, invasive biennial thistle common in disturbed ground across temperate North America.
chevron_right Technical Summary
A citizen scientist confirmed a Bull Thistle sighting on a St. John's, Newfoundland street, adding a verified data point to the record of this widespread invasive plant's range in Atlantic Canada.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Bull Thistle (Cirsium vulgare) observed in Duckworth St, St. John's, NL, CA
Research-grade observation of Bull Thistle in Duckworth St, St. John's, NL, CA.
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
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Cirsium vulgare, commonly known as spear thistle, bull thistle, or common thistle, is a species of the Asteraceae genus Cirsium, native throughout most of Europe, Western Asia, and northwestern Africa. It is also naturalised in North America, Africa, and Australia and is an invasive weed in sever...