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Musk Thistle

Carduus nutans

Found in fields, roadsides, disturbed areas. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

-15
Harmful

Not native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 71%

Height
2 to 6 feet tall
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry to wet

Do not plant. Listed invasive in Alabama.

At a glance

Life cycle
Biennial
Bloom
May to November

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 18 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

11CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Carduus

  • Epiblema scudderianaScudder's Epiblema, Goldenrod Gall Moth
  • Homoeosoma electellaSunflower Moth
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Phlogophora irisOlive Angle Shades
  • Platyptilia carduidactylusArtichoke Plume Moth
  • Pyrausta subsequalisMottled Pyrausta
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Vanessa carduiPainted Lady, Cosmopolite
  • Vanessa virginiensisAmerican Lady, American Painted Lady
  • Pseudotelphusa carduiella
Show all 11
  • Scythris fuscicomella
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
2Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Carduus

  • Dieunomia heteropoda
  • Melissodes desponsus
Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Asteraceae

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “Late May to November” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Height · “2 to 6 feet (0.6-1.8 m) tall” · Fire Effects Information System: Carduus nutans (ranked first; Minnesota Wildflowers differs) · Source botanical description; original units and scope retained
  • Life cycle · “Biennial” · Minnesota Wildflowers
  • Light · “Full sun (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Soil · “Dry; Moist; Wet (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Also known as

Nodding Thistle

Conservation status

Alabama rankSNA
Global rankGNR
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Native alternatives

Find natives for your garden

Sources