Texas Thistle
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Cirsium texanum
Sunflower Family
- Asteraceae
Most often you will see this thistle in purple, but occassionally you will see them in white. Bumble bees love this plant. The pollen is right on the end of each flower, not hard to get to at all. This flower also has a very nice aroma. Bloom period April through July
The Texas thistle and the Scottish thistle have many characteristics in common, including the prickly bracts that surround their purple flowers. Every school-child in Scotland learns the legend of how the thistle, their national emblem, saved the country in the Middle Ages, when the Scots and Norsemen were at war.
Under cover of darkness, the Norsemen managed to land unobserved on the coast of Scotland. Removing
their boots, they crept on bare feet toward the unsuspecting Scottish army. Suddenly, a sharp cry of pain shattered the stillness: A Norse soldier had stepped on a thistle. Thus alerted to the surprise attach, the Scots sprang into action and drove the invaders from their shores.
