Life Cycle Studies with Musk Thistle

Abstract

Musk thistle (Carduus nutans L.) was added to the Nebraska noxious weed list in 1959. The objectives of this study were: (a) to determine the normal life cycle of musk thistle in Nebraska; (b) to determine the variations from the normal life cycle of musk thistle; and (c) to furnish a summary of the phenology for musk thistle in southeastern Nebraska. Observations are used freely throughout the text to describe morphological variations occurring within musk thistle that are not easily quantified.