Flower profile

Texas thistle

Cirsium texanum

Texas thistle (Cirsium texanum) is a flowering plant in the Asteraceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly April–June across the U.S.

Native to Texas

Texas thistle is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Texas it's most often seen in bloom in April–June.

3states where USDA records it

9,966TX sightings*

9,993U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Texas

Quick look

Cirsium texanum is a species of plant in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae found in North America. Common names include Texas thistle, Texas purple thistle or southern thistle. The species is native to northern Mexico and the southern Great Plains of the south-central United States. It grows in prairies and roadsides.
From Wikipedia's article Cirsium texanum, 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 3 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Texas. ^NatureServe
In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–June. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 9,966 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #56 among the 169 flowers on our Texas list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

In Texas, most flowering sightings come in April–June.

Flowering records by month in Texas (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (1,408 records)

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
Texas: Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Texas. ^{31 TAC 69.8}
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

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 page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 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 Texas thistle in 3 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas.

Texas counties with USDA records: Anderson, Aransas, Bandera, Bastrop, Baylor, Bell, Bexar, Brazoria, Brazos, Brewster, Brooks, Brown, Burnet, Cameron, Childress, Coke, Collin, Coryell, Crane, Crockett, Crosby, Dallas, Delta, Dimmit, Duval, Edwards, Falls, Fisher, Freestone, Frio, Garza, Gillespie, Goliad, Gonzales, Grayson, Guadalupe, Hays, Henderson, Hidalgo, Houston, Jim Hogg, Karnes, Kenedy, Kent, Kerr, Kimble, Kleberg, Lampasas, Lee, Live Oak, Llano, Madison, Marion, Martin, Mason, McCulloch, McLennan, McMullen, Medina, Midland, Mills, Navarro, Nueces, Palo Pinto, Pecos, Robertson, Rockwall, Runnels, San Patricio, San Saba, Starr, Sutton, Tarrant, Taylor, Terrell, Tom Green, Travis, Val Verde, Waller, Washington, Webb, Willacy, Williamson, Wilson, Zavala.

Names, range and relatives

Other scientific names (synonyms in USDA PLANTS): Carduus austrinus.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 87 counties across 2 states; the most are in Texas (85), Oklahoma (2).

Other Cirsium on Bloomipedia (12): Bull thistle, Creeping thistle, Bristle thistle, Cobwebby thistle, Field thistle, Wavyleaf thistle, Tall thistle, Elk thistle, New Mexico thistle, Pitcher's thistle.

More from the Asteraceae family (212 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Common yarrow, Goldenrods, White snakeroot, Sunflowers, Chicory, Black-eyed Susan, Common dandelion, Firewheel.

More Texas flowers

Firewheel

Gaillardia pulchella

★ OK state wildflowerNative

🌼 Blooms in TX: April–June

Straggler daisy

Calyptocarpus vialis

🌼 Blooms in TX: April–May

Upright prairie coneflower

Ratibida columnifera

Native

🌼 Blooms in TX: April–June

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile CITE2.
iNaturalist, Cirsium texanum: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Cirsium texanum (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Texas: Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife.
Texas: Texas noxious and invasive plant list (4 Tex. Admin. Code § 19.300(a)).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Cirsium texanum (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: Linda Jo Conn via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.