Cirsium mohavense
Mojave thistle
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Family: Asteraceae · Type: Herb · Native
Cirsium mohavense (Mojave thistle) is a native California herb in the Asteraceae family, recognized by desert springs/streams habitat, conspicuously decurrent leaves, white to pink corollas.
Mojave thistle is a California native perennial herb found in the southern eastern desert and desert mountains in damp soil around springs, canyons, and streams at elevations of 250 to 2,800 meters. Flowering from July to October, this plant produces white to pink or lavender flowers in heads 1.5 to 2.5 centimeters wide, arranged in loose to crowded flat-topped clusters. Growing with 1 to several stems that are grayish and slightly branched, reaching up to 6 decimeters tall and covered in dense gray tomentose hair. Its leaves are distinctively spiny, with proximal leaves 1.5 to 6 decimeters long, elliptic to oblanceolate, deeply lobed with rigidly spreading lobes and main spines 3 to 20 millimeters long. The fruit is 3 to 6 millimeters long with a pappus 14 to 16 millimeters in length.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 10 sympatric species; desert springs/streams habitat, conspicuously decurrent leaves, white to pink corollas
Habitat and range
Habitat: Damp soil around springs, canyons, streams
Elevation: 250-2800 m
Outside California: to Utah, Arizona
Bloom period
Cirsium mohavense blooms Jul-Oct.
How to tell it apart
vs Carduus: Cirsium has fluffy, feathery seed tufts; Carduus has rough bristles or no pappus and continuous spiny wings down the stem.; vs Silybum: Cirsium leaves are plain green; Silybum has bright white marbling along the leaf veins.; vs Sonchus: Cirsium has thistle-type flowers with spine-tipped bracts; Sonchus has dandelion-like flowers and milky sap.; vs Cynara: Cirsium heads are 1-6 cm across; Cynara heads are massive (4-15 cm, tennis ball sized) with fleshy bases.; vs Centaurea: Cirsium has linear bracts without appendages; Centaurea bracts have fringed or comb-like tips.
Frequently asked questions
Is Cirsium mohavense native to California?
Yes. Cirsium mohavense is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Cirsium mohavense bloom?
Cirsium mohavense blooms Jul-Oct.
What plant family does Cirsium mohavense belong to?
Cirsium mohavense is in the Asteraceae family, genus Cirsium.
What habitat does Cirsium mohavense grow in?
Cirsium mohavense grows in Damp soil around springs, canyons, streams.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.