Japanese name: ジャクエツアザミ（若越薊） Scientific name:Cirsium takaoi
[Overview]
A perennial found at woodland edges and in grasslands.
The stem is erect or ascending.
There are basal leaves and stem leaves; the basal leaves have withered by flowering time.
The stem leaves are alternate, and the lower ones are pinnately divided.
The leaf margins have sharp spines.
Flower heads are borne in corymbs at the stem tips.
The flower heads are reddish purple and face downward.
The involucre is cylindrical, and the involucral bracts are slightly recurved and arranged in 11–12 rows.
The fruit is an achene with white pappus.
[Notes]
This is a thistle commonly seen in the Hokuriku region.
