Cirsium edule, the edible thistle[2] or Indian thistle,[3] is a species of thistle in the genus Cirsium, native to western North America from southeastern Alaska south through British Columbia to Washington and Oregon, and locally inland to Idaho.

[4] It is a larval host to the mylitta crescent and the painted lady.

[5] Cirsium edule is a tall herbaceous perennial plant, reaching 1–2 m (39–79 in) in height.

The achenes are 4–5 mm long, with a downy pappus which assists in wind dispersal.

It is monocarpic, growing as a low rosette of leaves for a number of years, then sending up the tall flowering stem in spring, with the plant dying after seed maturation.