Re: Thistles

[sfram@citycom.com (LEE)]

I did learn recently that Arnica flowers, if picked, will go to seed.  And
they're in the same Aster family as star thistles.

>hello,
>
>here in california, star thistle is taking over the
>land, probably to help the soil recover from
>insensitive cattle grazing management.  i dislike
>killing it, but must since i like to walk barefooted.
>this spring i pulled a bit of it, roots and all, when
>the plants had both buds and early blooms.  a week
>later, i returned to the same spot.  the plants i had
>pulled had gone crispy, but the blooms seemed to be
>alive and well.  i intended to keep observing these to
>see if the seeds would develop to maturity but got
>side-tracked.
>
>i wonder if anyone knows if this is possible:  could
>the plant possibly have enough energy to complete the
>seed after being pulled by the roots?
>
>concerning mowing the stuff:  for star thistle, it
>seems that mowing must be repeated several times.
>star thistle has no problem making new flowers at the
>base of the stem, very near the soil surface.  aside
>from a well planned fire treatment (or maybe goats?)
>pulling it by the roots seems to be the only
>guaranteed 'cure'.
>
>regards,
>
>stephan leimroth
>
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