If you’ve ever tried to uproot a thistle in your yard or garden, it’s doubtful you’re a big fan of the lovely weed. How did this thing get in here, you’ll wonder. A single thistle plant, however, can produce up to 4,000 seeds that go airborne and settle wherever they find a fertile spot, like a garden. Roadsides work, too. We played golf at Heritage Oaks in Harrisonburg a week or so back, and thistles lined the fairways like a floral gallery. The collage of pink blooms were magnificent.
In Scotland, not only is the thistle the national flower, it’s the national emblem. There is even an “Order of the Thistle” named in its honor. The noted value of a thistle in Scotland dates back to the 11th century when an army from Norway landed in Scotland. In order to surprise the sleeping Scottish Army – and not knowing the prevalence of thistles in that part of the country – the Norsemen removed their shoes and socks for the sake of stealth. The approaching army gave itself away when the thistle spines found tender feet. For the Scots, thistles were an early warning device.
Thistles are also edible plants – roots, blooms, stems – everything but the spines themselves. For years, the plant has been used for medicinal purposes to relieve symptoms from headaches, vertigo and the plague. Some think the plant can even help prevent baldness.
Perhaps the greatest value of the thistles is their importance to pollinators, including the Monarch Butterfly. Poisons that are directed at thistles also kill these threatened beauties.
Friend or foe? If you hit a golf ball in their direction, you probably won’t like thistles, but if you enjoy seeing a Monarch Butterfly flit from bloom to bloom, a thistle may be your best friend.