41-407: Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterized by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae . Prickles can also occur all over the plant – on the stem and on the flat parts of the leaves. These prickles protect the plant from herbivores . Typically, an involucre with a clasping shape similar to a cup or urn subtends each of
82-579: A 5p coin design showing " The Badge of Scotland, a thistle royally crowned " ceased to be minted, though it remains in circulation. The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle , the highest and oldest chivalric order of Scotland, has thistles on its insignia and a chapel in St Giles's Kirk , Edinburgh, dubbed the Thistle Chapel . The thistle is the main charge of the regimental badge of
123-442: A woody stem ), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of broad-leaved trees , shrubs and vines , and most aquatic plants . Angiosperms are distinguished from the other major seed plant clade, the gymnosperms , by having flowers , xylem consisting of vessel elements instead of tracheids , endosperm within their seeds, and fruits that completely envelop the seeds. The ancestors of flowering plants diverged from
164-835: A different stylised thistle, crowned with the Scottish crown, has been the emblem of Police Scotland , and had long featured in the arms of seven of the eight pre-2013 Scottish police services and constabularies, the sole exception being the Northern Constabulary . As part of the arms of the University of Edinburgh , the thistle appears together with a saltire on one of the escutcheons of the Mercat Cross in Edinburgh . The coat of arms and crest of Nova Scotia (" New Scotland "), briefly Scotland's colony, have since
205-504: A leek. The thistle is also used to symbolise connection with Scotland overseas. For example, in Canada, it is one of the four floral emblems on the flag of Montreal ; in the US, Carnegie Mellon University features the thistle in its crest in honour of the Scottish heritage of its founder, Andrew Carnegie , and Annapolis, Maryland features the thistle in its flag and seal. The thistle is also
246-404: A thistle's flower heads . The typically feathery pappus of a ripe thistle flower is known as thistle-down . The spininess varies considerably by species. For example, Cirsium heterophyllum has very soft spines while Cirsium spinosissimum is the opposite. Typically, species adapted to dry environments are more spiny. The term thistle is sometimes taken to mean precisely those plants in
287-610: A total of 64 angiosperm orders and 416 families. The diversity of flowering plants is not evenly distributed. Nearly all species belong to the eudicot (75%), monocot (23%), and magnoliid (2%) clades. The remaining five clades contain a little over 250 species in total; i.e. less than 0.1% of flowering plant diversity, divided among nine families. The 25 most species-rich of 443 families, containing over 166,000 species between them in their APG circumscriptions, are: The botanical term "angiosperm", from Greek words angeíon ( ἀγγεῖον 'bottle, vessel') and spérma ( σπέρμα 'seed'),
328-858: Is starting to impact plants and is likely to cause many species to become extinct by 2100. Angiosperms are terrestrial vascular plants; like the gymnosperms, they have roots , stems , leaves , and seeds . They differ from other seed plants in several ways. The largest angiosperms are Eucalyptus gum trees of Australia, and Shorea faguetiana , dipterocarp rainforest trees of Southeast Asia, both of which can reach almost 100 metres (330 ft) in height. The smallest are Wolffia duckweeds which float on freshwater, each plant less than 2 millimetres (0.08 in) across. Considering their method of obtaining energy, some 99% of flowering plants are photosynthetic autotrophs , deriving their energy from sunlight and using it to create molecules such as sugars . The remainder are parasitic , whether on fungi like
369-453: Is a more likely candidate. Other species, including dwarf thistle ( Cirsium acaule ), musk thistle ( Carduus nutans ), and melancholy thistle ( Cirsium heterophyllum ) have also been suggested. The thistle, and more precisely Onopordum acanthium , is one of the symbols of Lorraine , together with its coat of arms which displays three avalerions , and the Cross of Lorraine . Lorraine
410-715: Is a region located in northeastern France, along the border with Luxembourg and Germany . Before the French Revolution , a large part of the region formed the Duchy of Lorraine . In the Middle Ages , the thistle was an emblem of the Virgin Mary because its white sap would bring to mind the milk falling from the breast of the Mother of God. It was later adopted as a personal symbol by René of Anjou , together with
451-419: Is that the introduced weevils may affect native thistles at least as much as the desired targets. Another approach towards controlling thistle growth is using thistle tortoise beetles as a biological control agent; through feeding on thistle plants, thistle tortoise beetles skeletonize the leaves and damage the plant. Thistles are important nectar sources for pollinators. Some ecological organizations, such as
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#1732776293548492-491: The Alismatales grow in marine environments, spreading with rhizomes that grow through the mud in sheltered coastal waters. Some specialised angiosperms are able to flourish in extremely acid or alkaline habitats. The sundews , many of which live in nutrient-poor acid bogs , are carnivorous plants , able to derive nutrients such as nitrate from the bodies of trapped insects. Other flowers such as Gentiana verna ,
533-811: The Badge of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom alongside the Tudor rose, Northern Irish flax , and Welsh leek . This floral combination appears on the present issues of the one pound coin. Beside the Tudor rose and Irish shamrock the thistle appears on the badge of the Yeomen of the Guard and the arms of the Canada Company . Issues of the historical florin showed the same flora, later including
574-801: The Lorraine Regional Natural Park . Carduus is the Latin term for a thistle (hence cardoon , chardon in French), and Cardonnacum is a Late Latin word for a place with thistles. This is believed to be the origin of name of the Burgundy village of Chardonnay, Saône-et-Loire , which in turn is thought to be the home of the famous Chardonnay grape variety. [REDACTED] Texts on Wikisource: Flowering plant Basal angiosperms Core angiosperms Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits , and form
615-707: The Scots Guards , the oldest regiment in the British Army . Both the Order of the Thistle and the Scots Guards use the motto Nemo me impune lacessit , the motto of the House of Stuart and referring to the thistle's prickly nature. Pound coins with this motto and a thistle were minted in 1984, 1989, and 2014. The combination of thistle and motto first appeared on the bawbee issued by King Charles II. In 1826,
656-466: The Xerces Society , have attempted to raise awareness of their benefits to counteract the general agricultural and home garden labeling of thistles as weeds. The monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus for instance, was highlighted as traditionally relying upon taller large-flowered thistle species such as Tall thistle, Cirsium altissimum , for its migration. Although such organizations focus on
697-584: The clade Angiospermae ( / ˌ æ n dʒ i ə ˈ s p ər m iː / ). The term 'angiosperm' is derived from the Greek words ἀγγεῖον / angeion ('container, vessel') and σπέρμα / sperma ('seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed within a fruit. The group was formerly called Magnoliophyta . Angiosperms are by far the most diverse group of land plants with 64 orders , 416 families , approximately 13,000 known genera and 300,000 known species . They include all forbs (flowering plants without
738-661: The grant of arms to the new National Bank of Scotland stipulates that the shield be surrounded by thistles and "thistle" is used as the name of several Scottish football clubs. Since 1960, a stylised thistle, also representing the Scottish Saltire , has been the logo of the Scottish National Party . The thistle is also seen as the logo for Scottish Rugby. Many businesses in Scotland choose this symbol to represent their organization. Since 2013,
779-460: The orchids for part or all of their life-cycle, or on other plants , either wholly like the broomrapes, Orobanche , or partially like the witchweeds, Striga . In terms of their environment, flowering plants are cosmopolitan, occupying a wide range of habitats on land, in fresh water and in the sea. On land, they are the dominant plant group in every habitat except for frigid moss-lichen tundra and coniferous forest . The seagrasses in
820-892: The "Big Five" extinction events in Earth's history, only the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event had occurred while angiosperms dominated plant life on the planet. Today, the Holocene extinction affects all kingdoms of complex life on Earth, and conservation measures are necessary to protect plants in their habitats in the wild ( in situ ), or failing that, ex situ in seed banks or artificial habitats like botanic gardens . Otherwise, around 40% of plant species may become extinct due to human actions such as habitat destruction , introduction of invasive species , unsustainable logging , land clearing and overharvesting of medicinal or ornamental plants . Further, climate change
861-531: The 17th century featured thistles. Following his ascent to the English throne, King James VI of Scotland & I of England used a badge consisting of a Tudor rose " dimidiated " with a Scottish thistle and surmounted by a royal crown. As the floral emblem of Scotland it appears in the Royal Arms of the United Kingdom thereafter, and was included in the heraldry of various British institutions, such as
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#1732776293548902-468: The Asteraceae, are too varied a group for generalisation. Many are troublesome weeds, including some invasive species of Cirsium , Carduus , Silybum and Onopordum . Typical adverse effects are competition with crops and interference with grazing in pastures, where dense growths of spiny vegetation suppress forage plants and repel grazing animals. Some species, although not intensely poisonous, affect
943-531: The Cross of Lorraine, then known as the Cross of Anjou. It seems through his book Livre du cuer d'amours espris that the Duke chose the thistle as his emblem not only because it was a Christian symbol, but also because he associated it with physical love. The thistle and the cross were used again by his grandson, René II, Duke of Lorraine , who introduced them in the region. The two symbols became hugely popular among
984-675: The Elder) of Norway who, having control of the Northern Isles and Hebrides , had harried the coast of the Kingdom of Scotland for some years. The thistle was used on silver coins first issued by King James III in 1474 as a Scottish symbol and national emblem. In 1536, the bawbee , a sixpence in the pound Scots , was issued for the first time under King James V ; it showed a crowned thistle. Thistles continued to appear regularly on Scottish and later British coinage until 2008, when
1025-411: The U.S. Department of Health and Human services, milk thistle has shown beneficial results in previous studies for people with HCV. It is possible that milk thistle can lower blood sugar levels for type two diabetes . As a dietary supplement, milk thistle is recommended for hepatitis , cirrhosis , jaundice , diabetes , and indigestion . The thistle has been the national emblem of Scotland since
1066-499: The benefits of native thistles, certain non-native thistles, such as Cirsium vulgare in North America, may provide similar benefits to wildlife. Some prairie and wildflower seed production companies supply bulk seed for native North American thistle species for wildlife habitat restoration, although availability tends to be low. Thistles are particularly valued by bumblebees for their high nectar production. Cirsium vulgare
1107-560: The common ancestor of all living gymnosperms before the end of the Carboniferous , over 300 million years ago. In the Cretaceous , angiosperms diversified explosively , becoming the dominant group of plants across the planet. Agriculture is almost entirely dependent on angiosperms, and a small number of flowering plant families supply nearly all plant-based food and livestock feed. Rice , maize and wheat provide half of
1148-610: The emblem of the Encyclopædia Britannica (which originated in Edinburgh, Scotland) and Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited (as the company was founded by two Scots). Which species of thistle is referred to in the original legend is disputed. Popular modern usage favours cotton thistle ( Onopordum acanthium ), perhaps because of its more imposing appearance, though it is not native and unlikely to have occurred in Scotland in mediaeval times. The spear thistle ( Cirsium vulgare ), an abundant native species in Scotland,
1189-659: The flowering plants as an unranked clade without a formal Latin name (angiosperms). A formal classification was published alongside the 2009 revision in which the flowering plants rank as the subclass Magnoliidae. From 1998, the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) has reclassified the angiosperms, with updates in the APG II system in 2003, the APG III system in 2009, and the APG IV system in 2016. In 2019,
1230-534: The flowers are strongly favoured by many butterflies besides fritillaries such as the monarch , skippers , and the various types of tiger swallowtail . Hummingbirds will feed on the flowers of the biennial species, which feature large flowers, as compared with the perennial creeping thistle . Some thistles, for example Cirsium vulgare , native to Eurasia, have been widely introduced outside their native range. Control measures include Trichosirocalus weevils . A problem with this approach, at least in North America,
1271-661: The health of animals that ingest them. The genus Cynara includes the commercially important species of artichoke . Some species regarded as major weeds are sources of vegetable rennet used in commercial cheese making. Similarly, some species of Silybum that occur as weeds are cultivated for seeds that yield vegetable oil and pharmaceutical compounds such as Silibinin . Other thistles that nominally are weeds are important honey plants, both as bee fodder in general, and as sources of luxury monofloral honey products. The Milk Thistle, also known as silymarin, has been used to treat liver or gallbladder problems. While not confirmed by
Thistle - Misplaced Pages Continue
1312-661: The lining of birds' nests. A thistle is the floral emblem of Scotland and Lorraine , as well as the emblem of the Encyclopædia Britannica . Genera in the Asteraceae with the word thistle often used in their common names include: Plants in families other than Asteraceae which are sometimes called thistle include: Thistle flowers are the favourite nectar sources of the pearl-bordered fritillary , small pearl-bordered fritillary , high brown fritillary , and dark green fritillary butterflies. Thistles and thistle-seed feeders provide important sustenance for goldfinches and
1353-566: The local people during the Battle of Nancy in 1477, during which the Lorrain army defeated Burgundy . The Duke's motto was " Qui s'y frotte s'y pique ", meaning "who touches it, pricks oneself", with a similar idea to the Scottish motto " Nemo me impune lacessit ". Nowadays the thistle is still the official symbol of the city of Nancy , as well as the emblem of the AS Nancy football team, and
1394-518: The manner of vines or lianas . The number of species of flowering plants is estimated to be in the range of 250,000 to 400,000. This compares to around 12,000 species of moss and 11,000 species of pteridophytes . The APG system seeks to determine the number of families , mostly by molecular phylogenetics . In the 2009 APG III there were 415 families. The 2016 APG IV added five new orders (Boraginales, Dilleniales, Icacinales, Metteniusales and Vahliales), along with some new families, for
1435-418: The reign of King Alexander III (1249–1286). According to legend , an invading Norse army was attempting to sneak up at night upon a Scottish army's encampment. One barefoot Norseman stepped on a thistle and cried out in pain, thus alerting Scots to the presence of the invaders. Possibly, this happened in 1263 during the Battle of Largs , which marked the beginning of the departure of King Haakon IV (Haakon
1476-568: The spring gentian, are adapted to the alkaline conditions found on calcium -rich chalk and limestone , which give rise to often dry topographies such as limestone pavement . As for their growth habit , the flowering plants range from small, soft herbaceous plants , often living as annuals or biennials that set seed and die after one growing season, to large perennial woody trees that may live for many centuries and grow to many metres in height. Some species grow tall without being self-supporting like trees by climbing on other plants in
1517-402: The tribe Cardueae (synonym: Cynareae), especially the genera Carduus , Cirsium , and Onopordum . However, plants outside this tribe are sometimes also called thistles. Biennial thistles are particularly noteworthy for their high wildlife value, producing copious floral resources for pollinators, nourishing seeds for birds like the goldfinch, foliage for butterfly larvae, and down for
1558-559: The world's staple calorie intake, and all three plants are cereals from the Poaceae family (colloquially known as grasses). Other families provide important industrial plant products such as wood , paper and cotton , and supply numerous ingredients for beverages , sugar production , traditional medicine and modern pharmaceuticals . Flowering plants are also commonly grown for decorative purposes , with certain flowers playing significant cultural roles in many societies. Out of
1599-457: Was believed to be a remedy for headaches, plague , cancer sores, vertigo, and jaundice. In the Beira region, thistle flowers are used as rennet in cheese making. " Serra da Estrela " is not only the name of a mountain chain in this country, " Serra da Estrela " is also the name of one of the most appreciated cheeses made from sheep's milk. Thistles, even if one restricts the term to members of
1640-483: Was coined in the form "Angiospermae" by Paul Hermann in 1690, including only flowering plants whose seeds were enclosed in capsules. The term angiosperm fundamentally changed in meaning in 1827 with Robert Brown , when angiosperm came to mean a seed plant with enclosed ovules. In 1851, with Wilhelm Hofmeister 's work on embryo-sacs, Angiosperm came to have its modern meaning of all the flowering plants including Dicotyledons and Monocotyledons. The APG system treats
1681-613: Was ranked in the top ten for nectar production in a UK plants survey conducted by the AgriLand project supported by the UK Insect Pollinators Initiative. Bull thistle was a top producer of nectar sugar in another study in Britain, ranked third with a production per floral unit of (2323 ± 418μg). Pliny and medieval writers thought it could return hair to bald heads and that in the early modern period it