thistle

A cartoon thistle mascot was one of the stars of Glasgow 2014.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

And since each sphere, though itself dead, seldom carries fewer than 150,000 fertile seeds, and sometimes as many as a quarter of a million, every tumbler leaves a vast wake of potential Russian thistle plants.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 17, 2025

Researchers from the University of Cologne have found a new use for Cnicin, a substance produced in blessed thistle.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 19, 2024

A Marin County park ranger was visiting her in-laws two weeks ago when she spotted a baby hummingbird hovering over a thistle in their backyard — or so she thought.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2023

The raft was tossed as a dried thistle goes rolling over a field in autumn days.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

"The only things that started growing were docks and thistles," said Pawsey, whose entire quinoa crop failed.

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026

John Pickles, a "postcode gardener" with Friends of the Earth, said a patch of grass on the Orchard Park estate had been brought to life with flowers including ox-eye daisies, purple thistles and yellow poppies.

From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026

Most thistles are weeds that are extremely prickly but have beautiful flowers.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 22, 2023

Previously, there’s been Colorado lamb and, at another point, artichoke thistles on the menu — flown in from Santa Barbara and baked in gratin and white truffle.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2022

The largest chunk, which the donors call “the field,” is a rectangle of overgrown weeds and thistles held in by wire-mesh fences.

From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro