Vibrant Milk Thistle Flowers Paint Northern Borders Landscape

Silybum marianum, commonly known as milk thistle, is a wild plant species significant to the Kingdom's Northern Borders Region flora and a preferred forage for camels. Originally from the Mediterranean basin, it has spread and naturalized in numerous regions worldwide.

 Experts classify milk thistle under the Silybum genus within the Asteraceae family. This prickly, annual plant features a thick stem branching from its base to the apex. Its leaves are sharply serrated, veined, and have a pointed shape.

 Typically reaching 30 to 120 centimeters in height, its leaves have a cottony texture, with lobed, glossy green surfaces and distinct yellow veins. The lower leaves are basal, while the upper leaves' bases clasp the stem.

 Its flower heads, 1 to 2.5 inches in diameter, are enclosed by rows of floral bracts with curved, thorny tips. The flowers can be red, purple, or white. The plant's lightweight fruits have fine hairs that aid in wind dispersal.