Musk Thistle (Nodding Thistle)
Carduus nutans
Family: Asteraceae
Biennial. Native to temperate Eurasia. Musk Thistle
provides a pithy stem which is excellent as a cooked vegetable. The
flowers have been employed by native peoples for curdling milk in cheese
making. Cultivation: Extra care. Multi-cycle germinator.
Sowing in a warm place without cold conditioning may give good results
in about 20 days, but preferable to sow in fall or early spring, in outdoor
nursery bed or cold greenhouse. Ongoing germination. Plant prefers full
sun, dryish or sandy soils with alkaline pH. Space plants 2 feet apart.
Flowers large, scented and drooping, crimson-purple to a height of 5 feet.
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