Carthamus lanatus

Synonyms: Carthamus lanatus ssp. lanatus
Common names: woolly distaff thistle; false starthistle; saffron thistle; woolly safflower; woolly starthistle
Carthamus lanatus (woolly distaff thistle) is a winter annual forb (family Asteraceae) found in disturbed open sites, roadsides, pastures, annual grasslands, and waste areas. Its spiny foliage can injure livestock. It is primarily found in the northern coast ranges of California.
Cal-IPC Rating: HighCDFA Rating: B*
Cal-IPC Assessment
Plant Assessment Form - Information gathered by Cal-IPC on the impacts, rate of spread, and distribution of invasive plants in California. Does not include management information.
Species ID Card
Invasive Species ID Card - To support field identification of early detection species, Cal-IPC has designed a set of Species ID cards that can be downloaded, printed double-sided, and trimmed to size.
Weed Management Notes
- Management Notes - Information on management techniques and effectiveness from the University of California Cooperative Extension’s Weed Research & Information Center.
Cal-IPC Newsletter Articles
- Tracking eradication progress . Guise, Vince. Vol 21, Issue 3
Cal-IPC Symposium Presentations
Presentations are linked where available. Where a presentation is not available, find more information by reading the abstract in the Cal-IPC Symposia Archive.
- 2004 Cal-IPC Red Alert! New invasions, recent expansions, and a few others to be on the look-out for…. DiTomaso, Joseph M. (2004)
Other Carthamus lanatus Information
- CalPhotos - Images of plants taken mostly in California.
- Calflora - See the distribution of this species on Calflora's map of California.
- CalWeedMapper - Distribution information with ability to determine regional priorities.
- Jepson Online Interchange for California Flora - Information on taxonomy, biology, and distribution from UC Berkeley's Jepson Herbarium.
- CDFA - California official noxious weeds.
- USDA PLANTS Database - Federal database with information on identification and distribution, and links to websites in individual states.
- EDD MapS - North American distribution based on Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System.