Cotton Thistle vs Reticulate Thistle

Onopordum acanthium compared with Onopordum nervosum

Key Differences

• Cotton Thistle is Endangered while Reticulate Thistle is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cotton Thistle	Reticulate 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	Onopordum	Onopordum
Species	Onopordum acanthium	Onopordum nervosum

Evolutionary Relationship

Cotton Thistle and Reticulate Thistle share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Onopordum.

Conservation Status

Cotton Thistle

EN — Endangered

Reticulate Thistle

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cotton Thistle	Reticulate Thistle
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cotton Thistle

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, tundra, and tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, among 10 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Georgia, India, Japan), Europe (22 countries), North America (Canada, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Reticulate Thistle

Habitat

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

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries) and Oceania and the Pacific (Australia).

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

🇦🇺 Australia 🇧🇪 Belgium 🇫🇷 France 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇬🇧 United Kingdom