Cirsium occidentale var. coulteri

Coulter's thistle

Family: Asteraceae · Type: biennial · Native

Coulter's thistle is a California native biennial found in coastal California regions including the Central Coast, Southern Coast, and Channel Islands in grasslands, dunes, oak woodlands, and scrub at elevations generally below 700 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces light purple to rich red-purple flowers in large heads approximately 4 to 5 centimeters in diameter, creating striking displays across its native habitats. Growing erect or bushy with variable tomentose texture, the plant reaches heights of 30 to 150 centimeters with densely cobwebby involucres. Its distinctive leaves are needle-like, with phyllaries extending 13 to 30 millimeters long and arranged in ascending to stiffly spreading patterns. The corolla, measuring 25 to 33 millimeters, contributes to its dramatic and eye-catching appearance in coastal and inland landscapes.

Habitat: Grassland, dunes, oak woodland, scrub

Bloom period: Mar-Jun

Elevation: generally < 700 m

Bioregions: CCo, SCo, ChI.

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.