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Pests
Under Eradication : Artichoke Thistle
Artichoke Thistle
Cynara cardunculus
Artichoke Thistle, an escaped garden plant, resembles
the common artichoke except the thistle has profuse sharp
spines and doesn't produce an edible head. This weed spreads
easily especially in cool moist coastal areas although
it does well in the Chino Hills. It grows to a height
and spread of about six feet, with numerous flowering
stalks.
Artichoke thistles crowd out native plants and form an
impenetrable barrier to people and animals. Flowers are
purple fading to yellow as the flower matures and dries.
The sharp spines on the leaves distinguish the thistle
from garden-variety artichokes.
San Bernardino County has a number of infestations of
this weed in the Chino Hills. Mechanical removal of mature
plants to remove seeds and chemical treatments to kill
immature plants and prevent germination has kept this
weed from over-running the hillsides.
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