Description
Yellow starthistle is an annual that can grow from ¼ - 3 ft. (0.1-1 m) in height. Leaves near the base are petiolate, dissected, 2-6 in. (5-15 cm) long and usually absent at time of flowering. Leaves further up the stem are decurrent, entire and 0.4-4 in. (1-10 cm) long. Flowering occurs from June to October, when yellow flowers appear in heads at the tips of the branches. Bracts that subtend the flower head have a small cluster of spines and a stout central spine 0.4-1 in. (10-25mm) in length. Yellow starthistle was accidentally introduced into the United States in the mid- 1800’s as contaminate of alfalfa seed. Yellow starthistle invades woodlands, pastures, roadsides and fields.Resources
- Biology and Biological Control of Yellow Starthistle - USDA Forest Service
- Weeds Gone Wild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas - Plant Conservation Alliance
- Element Stewardship Abstract - The Nature Conservancy
- Weed of the Week - USDA Forest Service
Selected Images
More
 1350006 yellow starthistle Centaurea solstitialis Plant(s) Cindy Roche |
 1350008 yellow starthistle Centaurea solstitialis Plant(s) Cindy Roche |
 1459671 yellow starthistle Centaurea solstitialis Plant(s) Steve Dewey |
 5229088 yellow starthistle Centaurea solstitialis Foliage Richard Old |
 1459661 yellow starthistle Centaurea solstitialis Foliage Steve Dewey |
 1350011 yellow starthistle Centaurea solstitialis Plant(s) Cindy Roche |
 1299118 yellow starthistle Centaurea solstitialis Flower(s) Steve Dewey |
 1316001 yellow starthistle Centaurea solstitialis Flower(s) Peggy Greb |
 5229090 yellow starthistle Centaurea solstitialis Flower(s) Richard Old |
 1459664 yellow starthistle Centaurea solstitialis Feature(s) Steve Dewey |
 5229089 yellow starthistle Centaurea solstitialis Fruit(s) Richard Old |
 1350005 yellow starthistle Centaurea solstitialis Fruit(s) Cindy Roche |
 0022047 yellow starthistle Centaurea solstitialis Plant(s) Charles Turner |
 1459656 yellow starthistle Centaurea solstitialis Plant(s) Steve Dewey |
 1459659 yellow starthistle Centaurea solstitialis Infestation Steve Dewey |
 1350038 yellow starthistle Centaurea solstitialis Infestation University of Idaho Archive |
 1459652 yellow starthistle Centaurea solstitialis Infestation Steve Dewey |
 1459658 yellow starthistle Centaurea solstitialis Infestation Steve Dewey |
 1624057 yellow starthistle Centaurea solstitialis Dispersal Jerry Asher |
 5306095 yellow starthistle Centaurea solstitialis Diagram or Graphic USDA PLANTS Database |
Maps
EDDMapS Distribution - This map is incomplete and is based only on current site and county level reports made by experts, herbaria, and literature. For more information, visit www.eddmaps.org
Alternative content
State Regulated List - This map identifies those states that list this species on their regulated list. For more information, visit Invasive.org
Alternative content
Invasive Listing Sources
- Arizona Noxious Weeds
- California Invasive Plant Council
- California Noxious Weeds
- Colorado Noxious Weeds
- Faith Campbell, 1998
- Idaho Noxious Weeds
- Jil M. Swearingen, Survey of invasive plants occurring on National Park Service lands, 2000-2007
- John Randall, The Nature Conservancy, Survey of TNC Preserves, 1995.
- Mid-Atlantic Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2005
- Montana Noxious Weeds
- National Wildlife Refuge Association, Silent Invasion: A Call to Action from the National Wildlife Refuge Association, 2002. Washington DC. 17 pp.
- Nevada Noxious Weeds
- New Hampshire Restricted Invasive Species
- New Jersey Department of Agriculture, Division of Plant Industry, 2004
- New Mexico Noxious Weeds
- Nonnative Invasive Species in Southern Forest and Grassland Ecosystems
- North Dakota Noxious Weeds
- Oregon Noxious Weeds
- Pacific Northwest Exotic Pest Plant Council, 1998
- South Dakota Noxious Weeds
- Utah Noxious Weeds
- Washington Noxious Weeds
- WeedUS - Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United States
- Wisconsin's Invasive Species Identification, Classification and Control Rule
Taxonomic Rank
| Kingdom: Plantae |
| Phylum: Magnoliophyta |
| Class: Magnoliopsida |
| Subclass: Asteridae |
| Order: Asterales |
| Family: Asteraceae |
| Genus: Centaurea |
Synonyms and Other Names
Other Common Names:
yellow star thistle, yellow star-thistle
Related Scientific Names:
| Leucantha solstitialis L. | (Synonym) |
| Common Name Reference: | USDA, NRCS. 2010. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA. |
| Scientific Name Reference: | USDA, NRCS. 2010. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA. |
Invasive.org is a joint project of the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health and USDA APHIS PPQ, with additional support from USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture and USDA Forest Service. The University of Georgia - Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences |
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Last updated on Tuesday, May 04, 2010 at 02:41 PM