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Thistles




Thistle is the common name of a Polyphyletic group of Flowering Plant s characterised by Leaves with sharp spines on the margins, mostly in the plant family Asteraceae .

The thistle, in particular ''Onopordum acanthium'' (the Cotton Thistle or Scotch thistle), is the National Flower of Scotland , and is featured in many Scottish symbols and logos. Legend has it that a Viking attacker stepped on one at night and cried out, so alerting the defenders of a Scottish castle.

Genera in the Asteraceae with the word thistle often used in their common names include:

Plants in families other than Asteraceae which are sometimes called thistle include: