Anyone who has accidently sat on a Dwarf Thistle Cirsium acaule will know why it is also known as the Picnic Thistle! Lurking in short grazed grasslands on dry calcareous soils, it lies patiently in wait for the unwary picnicker. This low perennial usually has a single stemless purple flower perched on a rosette of spiny leaves, although occasionally 2 or 3 flowers can be found. Dwarf Thistle is common in the Southern half of the country but it becomes rarer as you travel North, with no records at all in Scotland and only a few in Wales. Between June and September these perky little plants help to add colour to the chalky slopes of the Chilterns, along with Selfheal, Rock Rose, Devilsbit Scabious, Thyme and Marjoram.
Dwarf Thistle Cirsium acaule - Ragpits, Buckinghamshire (17/07/2011)
Dwarf Thistle Cirsium acaule - Ragpits, Buckinghamshire (17/07/2011)
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