Black Thistle vs Field Thistle

Cirsium vulgare compared with Cirsium discolor

Key Differences

Black Thistle is Least Concern while Field Thistle is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black Thistle	Field 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 discolor

Evolutionary Relationship

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

View Genus: Cirsium

Conservation Status

Black Thistle

LC — Least Concern

Field Thistle

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black Thistle	Field 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).

Field Thistle

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Canada and United States.

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.