THISTLE

Thistle

Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles often occur all over the plant – on surfaces such as those of the stem and flat parts of leaves. These are an adaptation that protects the plant against herbivorous animals, discouraging them from feeding on the plant. Typically, an involucre with a clasping shape of a cup or urn subtends each of a thistle's flowerheads.

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thistle

Noun

  1. Any of several perennial composite plants, especially of genera Cirsium, Carduus, Cynara or , having prickly leaves and showy flower heads with prickly bracts.
  2. This plant seen as the national emblem of Scotland.
  3. The Order of the Thistle, or membership thereof.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: thistle
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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