The Cotton thistle reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

Cotton thistle

Cotton thistle
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Asterales Family: Asteraceae Genus: Onopordum Species: acanthium
Binomial nomenclature
Onopordum acanthium

The Cotton thistle (Onopordum acanthium), also known as Scotch thistle, is a biennial herb native to Europe and Asia.

the plant got its nickname "Scotch thistle" from a legend the plant's thorny thickets helped protect Scotland from Viking attack. Oral folklore holds that as Vikings tried to sneak up at night to attack and raid Scot villages, they'd be stuck by the thistle's thorns and cry out in pain, alerting the townsfolk to the attack and allowing them to fight back and drive out the invaders.

External link

• Washinton state guide to the Scotch thistle

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