PlantFiles: Texas Thistle
Cirsium texanum

This is one of those plants where one gardener's treasure is another gardener's treasure. In this area of Texas, (North Central Texas Dallas-Fort Worth,: these grow wild on the freeway medians
hey easily get taller than me, and I am 5 foot w in. They have a beauriful bloom, but are impossible to handle without very thick gloves. They self seed promiscuouslt and are almost impossible
to eradicate.
Imho, they are best enjoyed in photographs or drawings. Their only saving grace would be the attractiveness to bees, But there are many many better ways to attract bees!

San Antonio, Tx.
An upright perennial that has spiny leaves and bracts, it can grow can grow from between two to five feet tall. Although the flower head does not have ray flowers, it has numerous pink to rose-purple disk flowers. It is foraged by butterflies and other insects and birds, such as the goldfinch, eat the seeds. White-tailed deer sometimes eat the flower buds and Rio Grande turkeys eat the seeds.

The Texas thistle is a wonderful Native plant. It is annual or biennial and it takes up a bit of space but the benefits are worth it. The flowers are gorgeos and butterflies love them.
Also the sphinx moths come out at night some as big a hummingbirds, and they hang around the flowers with their long proboscis a few inches long feeding on the nectar.
It is amazing watching them at night with a flash light. Also the goldfinches use the fluff from the flowers for their nests and eat the seeds.