Flower profile

Field thistle

Cirsium discolor

Native in the lower 48

Field thistle is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 2 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in August–October.

33states

2of our state lists

10,733U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Iowa, Maryland

Quick look

Cirsium discolor, the field thistle, is a North American species of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. It is native to thirty-three states in the United States as well four Canadian provinces. It occurs across much of eastern and central Canada as well as eastern and central United States. It has been found from New Brunswick west to Saskatchewan and south as far as Texas and Georgia.
From Wikipedia's article Cirsium discolor, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Asteraceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a biennial, perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 33 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Maryland and Iowa. ^NatureServe
In Maryland, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in August–September. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,144 research-grade sightings of it in Maryland, ranking #99 among the 110 flowers on our Maryland list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 263 research-grade sightings of it in Iowa, ranking #101 among the 109 flowers on our Iowa list. ^iNaturalist

Field thistle gift ideas

Handmade field thistle gifts from independent makers.

🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.

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Field thistle art print
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Field thistle greeting card
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Field thistle mug
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Field thistle earrings
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Field thistle embroidery pattern
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Field thistle sticker
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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (1,329 records)

Bloom time in each of our 2 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Maryland	Native	August–September	1,144
Iowa	Native	few records	263

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Maryland: Not listed Not on Maryland threatened and endangered plants (COMAR 08.03.08.05, .06 and .08). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Maryland. ^{COMAR 08.03.08}
Iowa: Not listed Not on Iowa endangered, threatened and special concern plants (Iowa Admin. Code r. 571-77.3). NatureServe: S5, secure in Iowa. ^{IAC 571-77.3}
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: NE (S1), SC (S1), VT (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records field thistle in 33 states plus Washington, D.C.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin; District of Columbia.

Iowa counties with USDA records: Cherokee, Guthrie, Lyon, Madison, Sioux.

More Maryland flowers

Common yarrow

Achillea millefolium

Native

🌼 Blooms in MD: May–September

White snakeroot

Ageratina altissima

Native

🌼 Blooms in MD: August–October

Chicory

Cichorium intybus

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in MD: June–October

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile CIDI.
iNaturalist, Cirsium discolor: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Cirsium discolor (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Maryland: Maryland threatened and endangered plants (COMAR 08.03.08.05, .06 and .08).
Maryland: Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant List (COMAR 15.06.04.06; MDA, updated July 2026).
Iowa: Iowa endangered, threatened and special concern plants (Iowa Admin. Code r. 571-77.3).
Iowa: Iowa noxious weeds (Iowa Code § 317.1A).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Cirsium discolor (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Elizabeth Green via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.