Cirsium altissimum is a North American species of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae.

In its first year, the plant appears as a rosette of leaves, slightly hairy, with small spines along the leaf margins.

The second year plant grows tall, tough stems that are densely covered with stiff hairs.

[5] The genus name Cirsium comes from the Greek word, kirsos, for "swollen vein" because the plants were previously used to reduce swelling.

[3] C. altissimum has a native range in the United States extending from Massachusetts west to North Dakota and south to Texas and the Florida Panhandle.