Cirsium andersonii / Rose Thistle / Asteraceae

Throughout the summer, these brightly colored wildflowers are always a treat when traversing our open woodlands and forests. A moment of respite amongst the often-dense canopy. 

One of the easiest ways to to distinguish these native Sierra Nevadan Thistles from the numerous invasive counterparts is their relatively slender stature. Their singular or several stems rising only 1-3’ from a taproot. Lower leaves are typically 4-8”, green adaxially (above) and gray-hairy abaxially (below), with a spiny-winged petiole. As we go up the stem, these spiny leaves become much reduced. There are only a few barrel-shaped flower heads, sporting an 80's haircut of bright rose-purple disk flowers.

Mostly biennial, the roots are tender and edible the first year, turning woody and fibrous the second year. These are great raw or even better cooked. Young leaves are sauteed as greens, which wilts their fairly reasonable spines (at least as far as thistles go!). For the lost-and-without-hope-hikers, roots and foliage are high in electrolyte minerals. Stalks are delicious but, like most parts, are best at their tender, meristemic stage. Makes handling the minor spines a bit easier as well. As with other thistles, including the infamous Artichoke, flower buds can be peeled, and the tender hearts eaten (that's a weird phrase...). However, on most species, including this one, they are too tricky and tiny to utilize regularly.