Musk Thistle or Nodding Thistle (Carduus nutans L.) identification and control

Summary. The musk thistle or nodding thistle (Carduus nutans L.) is usually a biennial or winter annual, but it occasionally occurs as a summer annual. As a biennial or winter annual, it produces a rosette the first year and develops flowers and seeds the second year. As a summer annual, this thistle completes its life cycle from germination through seed production in the same growing season. …