Musk Thistle / Nodding Thistle Carduus nutans Feochadán crom Family: Asteraceae Flowering time: May-September. Biennial. Probably introduced. The large bright red-purple flowers are solitary and slightly drooping. Seedheads with simple achenes. Leaves are deeply-pinnate lobed, the lobes spine-tipped and the underside of the veins woolly. The stout stem is erect, cottony and winged. Height to 100cm. Found on thin calcareous grassland and roadsides. Very rare, scattered distribution in Ireland but most frequent in the south-east

Musk Thistle, Carduus nutans, Feochadán crom