RARITY IN PLANTS
THE "WOOLLY THISTLE" SPECIMEN IN TARANAKI A plant rarity, for Taranaki, has beefl discovered by Mr.. W. T. Simons, o( Puniho. The plant, except for pne important difference, is a counterpart of the ordinary Scotch thistle, having burrs armed with thorns at the end of the stems and the usual spiny thistle-leaf. Only the fact that the colour of the flowers is white and not purple, as in the thistle so common in many parts of Taranaki, proves it to be something out of the ordinary. The thistle, known as the "woolly thistle," because of the resemblance of the while flowers to wool, was found by Mr. Simons among a clump of ordinary Scotch thistle and is the only one of its kind he has seen. Mr. W. W. Smith, of New Plymouth, identified the plant as " Ciiicus eriophorus" and pointed out its rarity in this country. It was a native of Europe, being recognised' as one of the large family, popularly termed "thistle." The first record of its appearance in New Zealand was in the Wairarapa 30 years ago and he had noticed two instances prior to the present one in Taranaki. The sharp spines were very irritating when the skin of hands or legs was pierced.
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Bibliographic details
New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21404, 31 January 1933, Page 6
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211RARITY IN PLANTS New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21404, 31 January 1933, Page 6
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