Cabbage Thistle

Edible … but not pleasant

The cabbage thistle is the only species in the Netherlands with white-yellow flower heads - usually thistle flowers are purple. What is also specific to the cabbage thistle is the presence of 2 to 6 greatly enlarged bracts surrounding the flower heads.

Cirsium, the genus name, is derived from the Greek kirsos meaning ‘swollen vein’. Thistles belonging to this genus have therefore been used as a remedy for this. The second part of the scientific name, oleraceum, means ‘used as a vegetable’ or ‘grown in vegetable gardens’. Although most animals do not eat this species and people do not find it either particularly tasty or nutritious either, this thistle can be eaten in the time of scarcity or famine.

The genus Cirsium comprises about 200 species worldwide, seven of which grow in the Netherlands. The natural distribution of the cabbage thistle includes Middle Europe, Eastern Europe and Western Asia. The species is found on wet, calcareous, nutrient rich soil near watercourses in swamp forests and meadows. In the Netherlands this Cirsium species is relatively rare but it does seem to be stable. The most likely place to find it is in South Limburg – this is probably due to the underlying calcareous clay soil.