General: Virgin River Thistle (Cirsium virginensis), a new species, is confined to the Little Finland area of Gold Butte National Monument. This species is similar to Mojave Thistle with blue flowers, but the basal leaves are not spiky. This is a two-year or short-lived perennial that spends the first year as a rosette. In the second year, it sends up a flower stalk with more spiky leaves and topped with a spike-protected white flowerhead.

Virgin River Thistle is a rare component of vegetation communities in dry, well-drained sandy areas, although it is abundant at Little Finland.

fairly common component of vegetation communities in dry, well-drained sandy and gravelly areas on desert flats, bajadas, and moderate slopes in the lower mountains in the Lower Sonoran (Creosote-Bursage Flats) and Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub) life zones.

Family: Sunflower (Asteraceae).

Other Names: Desert Thistle.

Plant Form: Basal rosette, then upright stalks topped with flowerheads.

Height: To about 4 feet.

Stems: Usually a single main stem that branches above to a few stems

Leaves: Gray, with hairs (tomentose). Basal leaves 4-8 inches, long and broad with more-or-less unspiked lobes. Upper leaves few, small, spiny.

Flowers: Blooms in the spring. Inflorescence: flowerhead formed of many flowers. Flowers generally emerge from a round, spiky ball; flowers with long, upright blue petals.

Seeds: achene.

Habitat: Sandy soils.

Elevation: 1,850 feet.

Distribution: Little Finland area of Gold Butte National Monument.

Comments: This species has not yet been described.