| yellow starthistle |
USDA PLANTS Symbol: CESO3 USDA ARS GRIN: 9827 ITIS: 36972 NAPIS: PBFARBJ |
| Centaurea solstitialis L. | |
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Taxonomic Rank: Magnoliopsida: Asterales: Asteraceae |
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| Synonym(s): yellow star thistle, yellow star-thistle | |
Yellow starthistle is an annual that can grow from ¼ - 3 ft. (0.1-1 m) in height. Leaves near the base are petiolate, dissected, 2-6 in. (5-15 cm) long and usually absent at time of flowering. Leaves further up the stem are decurrent, entire and 0.4-4 in. (1-10 cm) long. Flowering occurs from June to October, when yellow flowers appear in heads at the tips of the branches. Bracts that subtend the flower head have a small cluster of spines and a stout central spine 0.4-1 in. (10-25mm) in length. Yellow starthistle was accidentally introduced into the United States in the mid- 1800’s as contaminate of alfalfa seed. Yellow starthistle invades woodlands, pastures, roadsides and fields. |
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Identification, Biology, Control and Management Resources
- Weed of the Week - USDA Forest Service
- Element Stewardship Abstract - The Nature Conservancy
- Biology and Biological Control of Yellow Starthistle - USDA Forest Service
- Weeds Gone Wild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas - Plant Conservation Alliance
| Selected Images from Invasive.org | View All Images at Invasive.org |
 Plant(s); Seedling stage Cindy Roche, , Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Plant(s); Bolting stage Cindy Roche, , Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Plant(s); Rosette Steve Dewey, Utah State University, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Foliage; Richard Old, XID Services, Inc., Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Foliage; Steve Dewey, Utah State University, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Plant(s); Spines are equal to or greater than 45° angle from stem Cindy Roche, , Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Flower(s); Steve Dewey, Utah State University, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Flower(s); Peggy Greb, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Flower(s); Richard Old, XID Services, Inc., Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Feature(s); Spines Steve Dewey, Utah State University, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Fruit(s); Richard Old, XID Services, Inc., Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Fruit(s); Cindy Roche, , Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Plant(s); in flower Charles Turner, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Plant(s); Steve Dewey, Utah State University, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Infestation; Steve Dewey, Utah State University, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Infestation; example of yellow starthistle infestation suitable for a biological control program University of Idaho Archive, University of Idaho, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Infestation; Steve Dewey, Utah State University, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Infestation; Steve Dewey, Utah State University, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Dispersal; Invasive plants can be spread far and wide by people and as hitchhikers on vehicles. Jerry Asher, USDI Bureau of Land Management, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
 Diagram or Graphic; Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. Illustrated flora of the northern states and Canada. Vol. 3: 560. USDA PLANTS Database, USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, Bugwood.org Additional Resolutions & Image Usage |
Taxonomic References:
- USDA, NRCS. 2001. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.1, National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.
Invasive Listing Sources:
- Faith Campbell, 1998. Plants that Hog the Garden: Invasive Plants in the United States. Fine Gardening Online
- Jil M. Swearingen, Survey of invasive plants occurring on National Park Service lands, 2000-2007
- John Randall, The Nature Conservancy, Survey of TNC Preserves, 1995.
- Mid-Atlantic Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2005
- National Wildlife Refuge Association, Silent Invasion: A Call to Action from the National Wildlife Refuge Association, 2002. Washington DC. 17 pp.
- New Jersey Department of Agriculture, Division of Plant Industry, 2004
- Nonnative Invasive Species in Southern Forest and Grassland Ecosystems
- Pacific Northwest Exotic Pest Plant Council, 1998
- WeedUS - Database of Plants Invading Natural Areas in the United States
- Arizona Noxious Weeds
- California Invasive Plant Council
- California Noxious Weeds
- Colorado Noxious Weeds
- Idaho Noxious Weeds
- Montana Noxious Weeds
- North Dakota Noxious Weeds
- New Mexico Noxious Weeds
- Nevada Noxious Weeds
- Oregon Noxious Weeds
- South Dakota Noxious Weeds
- Utah Noxious Weeds
- Washington Noxious Weeds
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