cardo vs elk thistle

Cirsium vulgare compared with Cirsium foliosum

Key Differences

• cardo is Least Concern while elk thistle is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	cardo	elk thistle
Kingdom same	Plantae (plantas)	Plantae (plantas)
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 foliosum

Evolutionary Relationship

cardo and elk thistle share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Cirsium.

Conservation Status

cardo

LC — Least Concern

elk thistle

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	cardo	elk thistle
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

cardo

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).

elk thistle

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Canada and Norway.

cardo

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇨🇦 Canada 🇳🇴 Norway