Pollinator plant

Cotton Thistle

Onopordum acanthium

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Common names

49 names · 30 languages
EnglishYour language
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Other languages (29)
Dutch
French
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  • Onopordon à feuilles d'acanthe[3][5]
Arabic
  • أقسون شوكي[5]
  • رأس الشيخ الشوكي[5]
  • شكاعى شوكية[5]
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  • فص الحمار[5]
Catalan
Cherokee
Chinese (Simplified)
Chinese (Traditional)
Croatian
  • Magareći trn[5]
Czech
  • ostropes trubil[5]
Danish
  • Æselfoder[5]
Estonian
  • terav kroonohakas[5]
Finnish
  • okakruunuohdake[5]
German
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Hungarian
  • közönséges szamárbogáncs[5]
  • szamárbogáncs[5]
Italian
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Japanese
  • ゴロツキアザミ[5]
Lithuanian
  • Dygliuotoji kardažolė[5]
Navajo
  • Whosh Waa’[5]
  • Zéé hókanííł béí[5]
Norwegian
  • eseltistel[5]
Polish
  • Popłoch pospolity[5]
Romanian
  • Scai măgăresc[5]
Russian
  • Татарник колючий[5]
Serbian
  • Magareći trn[5]
  • Магарећи трн[5]
Slovak
  • ostropes obyčajný[5]
Slovenian
  • navadna kozjica[5]
Spanish
Swedish
Turkish
Ukrainian
  • Татарник звичайний[5]
Sources & name notes (5)

Names recorded in our plant catalogue and botanical sources, grouped by language. Usage can vary by region.

Catalogue language labels are reviewed separately from botanical source records.

Numbered references identify names recorded by an external source. Other names are from our plant catalogue.

[1] Royal Horticultural Society — common names ↗

Names retained from the referenced botanical profile or table.

Source records
  • cotton thistle — Page 3, column 1, row top 412 pt; common-name cell after Onopordum acanthium.; Onopordum acanthium.
[2] Royal Horticultural Society — common names ↗

Names retained from the referenced botanical profile or table.

Source records
  • cotton thistle — Page 4, column 2, row top 262 pt; common-name cell after Onopordum acanthium.; Onopordum acanthium.
[3] Onopordum acanthium — iNaturalist taxon names ↗

Community-curated iNaturalist taxonomy. This is a common-name attestation, not an independent botanical determination.

Source records
  • cotton thistle — results[0].names[1]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Eselsdistel — results[0].names[6]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Krampfdistel — results[0].names[9]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Krebsdistel — results[0].names[7]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Wolldistel — results[0].names[8]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Scotch cotton thistle — results[0].names[38]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Scotch thistle — results[0].names[16]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Scottish thistle — results[0].names[13]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Cardo borriquero — results[0].names[32]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • chardon aux ânes — results[0].names[5]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Onopordon faux-acanthe — results[0].names[3]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Onopordon à feuilles d'acanthe — results[0].names[4]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Acanzio — results[0].names[10]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Cardo di Scozia — results[0].names[11]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Cardo scozzese — results[0].names[12]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • onopordo tomentoso — results[0].names[35]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Wegdistel — results[0].names[26]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
[4] Catalogue of Life 2026-08-20 — Onopordum acanthium ↗

Common names from World Plants, version 26.05, reproduced in Catalogue of Life 2026-08-20. License: CC BY.

Source records
  • Cotton Thistle (EN) — VernacularName.tsv, line 141052; taxon 49LG8.
  • Gewöhnliche Eselsdistel (DE) — VernacularName.tsv, line 141053; taxon 49LG8.
  • Onoporde acanthe (FR) — VernacularName.tsv, line 141054; taxon 49LG8.
[5] Onopordum acanthium — iNaturalist taxon names ↗

Community-curated iNaturalist taxonomy; common-name attestation, not an independent botanical determination.

Source records
  • cotton thistle — results[10].names[1]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Eselsdistel — results[10].names[6]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Krampfdistel — results[10].names[9]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Krebsdistel — results[10].names[7]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Wolldistel — results[10].names[8]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Scotch cotton thistle — results[10].names[38]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Scotch thistle — results[10].names[16]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Scottish thistle — results[10].names[13]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Cardo borriquero — results[10].names[32]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • chardon aux ânes — results[10].names[5]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Onopordon faux-acanthe — results[10].names[3]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Onopordon à feuilles d'acanthe — results[10].names[4]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Acanzio — results[10].names[10]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Cardo di Scozia — results[10].names[11]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Cardo scozzese — results[10].names[12]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • onopordo tomentoso — results[10].names[35]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Wegdistel — results[10].names[26]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • ostropes trubil — results[10].names[14]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Æselfoder — results[10].names[15]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Татарник колючий — results[10].names[17]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • eseltistel — results[10].names[18]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • okakruunuohdake — results[10].names[19]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Dygliuotoji kardažolė — results[10].names[20]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Popłoch pospolity — results[10].names[21]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • أقسون شوكي — results[10].names[22]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • رأس الشيخ الشوكي — results[10].names[23]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • شكاعى شوكية — results[10].names[24]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • فص الحمار — results[10].names[25]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Bufassa — results[10].names[27]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • ゴロツキアザミ — results[10].names[28]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • terav kroonohakas — results[10].names[29]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • ulltistel — results[10].names[30]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • 大翅蓟 — results[10].names[31]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Scai măgăresc — results[10].names[33]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Татарник звичайний — results[10].names[34]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • 大翅薊 — results[10].names[36]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • navadna kozjica — results[10].names[37]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Zéé hókanííł béí — results[10].names[39]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Whosh Waa’ — results[10].names[40]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • szamárbogáncs — results[10].names[41]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • közönséges szamárbogáncs — results[10].names[42]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • ᏥᏥ — results[10].names[43]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Магарећи трн — results[10].names[44]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Magareći trn — results[10].names[45]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • ostropes obyčajný — results[10].names[46]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Magareći trn — results[10].names[47]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
  • Galagan — results[10].names[48]; taxon id 78259; Onopordum acanthium.
Plant references

Source-backed information

Published observations for this plant. Each reference supports the information beside it.

Taxonomy
Onopordum acanthium is an accepted species in Catalogue of Life.

Taxonomic treatment in the August 2026 release; the catalogue record name is preserved.

Sources [1]
Botanical family
Asteraceae

Family in the cited taxonomic treatment.

Sources [1]
Pollinator guidance
RHS includes Onopordum acanthium in its Plants for Pollinators guidance.

RHS planting guidance. Choose accessible flowers with pollen and nectar; reduced-resource and double-flowered forms may be unsuitable.

Sources [2] [3]
Catalogue ratings

Who this plant supports

Honey bees

Low suitability
Nectar value Low
Pollen value Low
Plant profile

About this plant

Cotton Thistle (Onopordum acanthium) is a herbaceous plant. It flowers from July to September.

Sources and references

References for the information marked with source numbers on this page.

Sources checked
  1. Catalogue of Life Onopordum acanthium — Catalogue of Life COL26.8

    COL26.8 (2026-08-20). Contributing checklist: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World. This is taxonomic evidence, not an independent ecological study.

    Supports: TaxonomyBotanical family
    Relevant sections
    • Taxonomy: NameUsage.tsv line 807554; ID 49LG8; rank species; status accepted
    • Botanical family: NameUsage.tsv line 807554; ID 49LG8; rank species; status accepted

    Source checked on .

    Source data licence: CC BY 4.0.

  2. Royal Horticultural Society RHS Plants for Pollinators — Wildflowers

    RHS planting guidance; applicable flower-form restrictions are retained. General recommendations do not measure local nectar or pollen production.

    Supports: Pollinator guidance
    Relevant sections
    • Pollinator guidance: Page 3, column 1, entry Onopordum acanthium (top 412 pt)

    Source checked on .

  3. Royal Horticultural Society RHS Plants for Pollinators — Garden Plants

    RHS planting guidance; applicable flower-form restrictions are retained. General recommendations do not measure local nectar or pollen production.

    Supports: Pollinator guidance
    Relevant sections
    • Pollinator guidance: Page 4, column 2, entry Onopordum acanthium (top 262 pt)

    Source checked on .