marsh thistle vs meadow thistle

Cirsium palustre compared with Cirsium dissectum

Key Differences

• marsh thistle is Least Concern while meadow thistle is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	marsh thistle	meadow 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 palustre	Cirsium dissectum

Evolutionary Relationship

marsh thistle and meadow thistle share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Cirsium.

Conservation Status

marsh thistle

LC — Least Concern

meadow thistle

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	marsh thistle	meadow thistle
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

marsh thistle

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (8 countries), North America (Canada, United States), and Oceania and the Pacific (New Zealand).

meadow thistle

Habitat

Inhabits temperate broadleaf and mixed forests within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden