Milk thistle pictures

Milk thistle
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  • Variegated thistle
  • Marian thistle
  • Thistle
  • Silybum marianum

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Common Name:Milk thistle, Marian thistle,Mary thistle, St Mary's Thistle,Mediterranean milk thistle,Variegated Thistle.

Botanical Name: Silybum marianum

Kingdom: Plantae

Division: Magnoliophyta

Class: Magnoliopsida

Order: Asterales

Family: Asteraceae

Genus: Silybum

Species: Marianum

Height: 40 to 100cm

Plant Type: Perennials

Bloom Time: June to August

Flower Color: Red purple

Milk thistle, is an annual or biannual plant of the Asteraceae family, The flower heads are 4 to 5 cm long and wide. Leaves are oblong to lanceolate, have spiny edges, green, with milk white veins. it is now found throughout the world. The medicinal parts of the plant are the ripe seeds. Milk thistle has been used medicinally for over 2,000 years, most commonly for the treatment of liver and gallbladder disorders.