The Temperate Database is in the process of being updated, with new records being added and old ones being checked and brought up to date where necessary. This record has not yet been checked and updated.

Common Name: Elk Thistle

General Information

Cirsium foliosum is a Biennial/Perennial up to 0.60 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of materials.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Northwestern North America - Montana to Saskatchewan.

Habitat

Swales and other moderately moist and badly drained sites[]. Moist soil, grasslands, meadows, edges and openings in boreal forest, subalpine forests and alpine slopes, 150 - 2600 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Biennial/Perennial
Height	0.60 m
Pollinators	Bees, Flies, Lepidoptera, Beetles, Self
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

An easily grown plant, succeeding in any ordinary garden soil in a sunny position[]. This species should tolerate wet soils[].
A monocarpic species, it grows for one or more years without flowering, but then dies after flowering the following year[].

Edible Uses

Root - cooked[, , , ]. About the size of a carrot, they are sweet and well-flavoured though require long preparation[]. The root is likely to be rich in inulin, a starch that cannot be digested by humans. This starch thus passes straight through the digestive system and, in some people, ferments to produce flatulence[].
Plant crown[]. No more details are given.
Stems - peeled[]. The peeled stems are a sweet potherb[]. Tender with a sweet delicate taste212].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The seed of all species of thistles yields a good oil by expression[]. No details of potential yields etc are given[].

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring or autumn in situ. Germination usually takes place within 2 - 8 weeks at 20°c[].
Division in spring or autumn.