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Plant Profile

Dune Thistle (Cirsium pitcheri)

A great view?this rare thistle grows on the sandy shores of the Great Lakes. Shown here at Grand Sable Dunes. Photo Credit: Brian Parsons

Global Rank: G3 - Vulnerable
Legal Status: Federally Threatened
Family: Asteraceae
State: IL, IN, MI, ON, WI
Nature Serve ID: 130152
Lifeform: Forb/herb
Date Inducted in National Collection: 02/09/1992

Description:

This herbaceous plant grows for 5-8 years before flowering. It blooms and sets seed once in its life. It stays open from June until September, and is visited by up to 30 different insect species. When it flowers, it has one stem, and many branches. The entire plant can be up to 3 feet tall. The blossoms are cream or pink colored. The leaves are finely but deeply lobed, and can be up to 1 foot in length. The stems of the plant have fine hairs on them, which is an adaptation to its beach environment, so it can retain water and reflect the sun. It has a long taproot, growing up to 6 feet long. Prior to flowering, this plant is found as a rosette with a cluster of leaves that are blue-green and covered in dense white wooly hairs. The plant is fairly stout and prickly. The entire plant is blue-green and covered in dense white wooly hairs. Mature leaves are divided deeply into narrow, spine tipped segments. The flower heads are also prickly and spine tipped. The heads are relatively large, and the seeds have feathery bristles. The seeds germinate in June, while the plant flowers and fruits from June until early September. Plant flowers and fruits from late June to early September.

Where is Dune Thistle (Cirsium pitcheri) located in the wild?

Habitat:

Pitchers thistle is found only on the open sand dunes along the shores of the western Great Lakes. (Bell et al. 2002)

Distribution:

Found in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ontario (USFWS 1988)

States & Provinces:

Dune Thistle can be found in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ontario, Wisconsin

Which CPC Partners conserve Dune Thistle (Cirsium pitcheri)?

Holden Forests and Gardens

Not Sponsored

Assigned 06/09/17

Chicago Botanic Garden

Conservation Actions

Tina Stanley

01/18/2024

Chicago Botanic Garden sent an estimated 3,000 seeds to the NLGRP.

Tina Stanley

01/18/2024

The collection was made at Ship Canal Nature Preserve in Door County, WI. The site is owned by Door County Land Trust. There are roughly 10 acres of dune habitat and thousands of Cirsium pitcheri plants at the site. Seeds were processed in the Seed Preparation Lab at Chicago Botanic Garden. An estimated 3000 seeds were recovered from the cleaning process. All seeds were sent to NLGRP.

Center for Plant Conservation

12/03/2021

Pitcher's thistle is endemic to sand dune systems of the western Great Lakes. This thistle required 70% open sand which restricts their habitat to sand dunes where wind-generated disturbance processes maintain successional vegetation and open sand. Meta-populations are required for persistence of this thistle which is dependent upon reproduction from seed. Establishment of staged cohorts that allow replacement of flowering plants in the population are required.

Center for Plant Conservation

11/25/2021

The restoration goal by The Morton Arboretum is to meet one of the specific goals of the Federal recovery plan for Cirsium pitcheri, which is "...recovery or restoration of metapopulations that can persist through time..." To do so, a population of this species has been restored in former habitat at Illinois Beach State Park and Nature Preserve, Lake Co., Illinois. A primary objective is to use a annual census and demographic modeling to project viability of the population.

Center for Plant Conservation

08/18/2021

In 2021, CPC contracted the Chicago Botanic Garden to recollect seed from a population currently held in long term orthodox seed storage as part of an IMLS-funded seed longevity experiment. The National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation will evaluate how germination tested viability and RNA Integrity of seed lots decline over time in storage.

10/02/2020

Research by individuals at Chicago State University, the Morton Arboretum, and Chicago Botanic Garden have been working on reintroducing this species to Illinois since 1991. This work has included genetic and life history studies.

10/02/2020

Reintroduction by U.S. Fish & Wildlife at Illinois Beach State Park resulted in the establishment of approximately 100 plants.

10/02/2020

Collaborative reintroduction efforts begun in 1991 by the Morton Arboretum, Chicago State University, and the Chicago Botanic Garden have had some success in bringing this plant back to its former habitat in the state for the long term. Research and monitoring continues on these reintroduced populations. (Bell et al. 2002)

Nature Serve Biotics

05/02/2017

One of the few Great Lakes endemics, this plant is found in a narrow band along the margins of Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Superior. Most extant sites (over 150) are in Michigan; several remain in Wisconsin, Indiana, and Ontario; none remain in Illinois. Many populations appear robust, including many that have increased in size since 2000 (COSEWIC 2010). However, the recent discovery of three escaped biocontrol species and the threat these species pose on C. pitcheri survival and fecundity impacts the overall G rank. Other factors such as development and associated manipulation of shoreline habitat, recreation, inbreeding, predation by goldfinches and climate change continue to threaten C. pitcheri occurrences. Because this species has a limited ability to disperse seeds widely, large colonies may be necessary to effectively colonize or recolonize naturally disturbed sites within its dynamic dune ecosystem.

Lindsey Parsons

01/01/2010

There is one population at Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore One population in Ludington State Park/Manistee National Forest Occurs in two Michigan Nature Association Sanctuaries Occurs in several Natural Areas 1 population in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Occurs at 12 sites in Canada (Great Lakes) 136 occurrences in the U.S. (Great Lakes) Reintroduction by U.S. Fish & Wildlife at Illinois Beach State Park resulted in the establishment of approximately 100 plants.

Lindsey Parsons

01/01/2010

Dr. M.A. Maun at the University of Western Ontario is performing ongoing work on the restoration ecology of this species. Research by individuals at Chicago State University, the Morton Arboretum, and Chicago Botanic Garden have been working on reintroducing this species to Illinois since 1991. This work has included genetic and life history studies.

Lindsey Parsons

01/01/2010

Pitchers thistle was extirpated from the Illinois shoreline of Lake Michigan in the early 1900s. Collaborative reintroduction efforts begun in 1991 by the Morton Arboretum, Chicago State University, and the Chicago Botanic Garden have had some success in bringing this plant back to its former habitat in the state for the long term. Research and monitoring continues on these reintroduced populations. (Bell et al. 2002)