Black Thistle vs Brook Thistle

Cirsium vulgare compared with Cirsium rivulare

Key Differences

• Black Thistle is Least Concern while Brook Thistle is Extinct.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black Thistle	Brook Thistle
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order same	Asterales (Daisies & Sunflowers)	Asterales (Daisies & Sunflowers)
Family same	Asteraceae (Daisy Family)	Asteraceae (Daisy Family)
Genus same	Cirsium	Cirsium
Species	Cirsium vulgare	Cirsium rivulare

Evolutionary Relationship

Black Thistle and Brook Thistle share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Cirsium.

Conservation Status

Black Thistle

LC — Least Concern

Brook Thistle

EX — Extinct

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black Thistle	Brook Thistle
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black Thistle

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and montane grasslands and shrublands, among 5 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic and Neotropic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (8 countries), Asia (Israel, Japan, Taiwan), Europe (12 countries), North America (5 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (7 countries).

Brook Thistle

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Found across Europe (7 countries).

Black Thistle

The Black Thistle (Cirsium vulgare) is a species in the genus Cirsium. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and montane grasslands and shrublands, among 5 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic an, found across Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, and more.

Brook Thistle

The Brook Thistle (Cirsium rivulare) is a species in the genus Cirsium. It is currently classified as Extinct on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇫🇮 Finland 🇫🇷 France 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden