Common Name: Elk Thistle

General Information

Cirsium foliosum is a biennial to short-lived perennial plant growing from a taproot; it produces a single, erect, stout and more or less fleshy stem around 25 - 70cm tall. The plant usually flowers in its second or third year of growth, dying after flowering[].
The plant 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 - Yukon, Northwest Territory, British Columbia, Alberta, Wyoming

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; at elevations from 150 - 2,600 metres[].

Properties

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

Cultivation Details

Cirsium species are generally easily grown plants, 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.