Cirsium arvense is a perennial species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native throughout Europe and western Asia, northern Africa and widely introduced elsewhere.

It also was a top producer of nectar sugar in a 2016 study in Britain, with a second-place ranking due to a production per floral unit of (2609±239 μg).

[17] It also differs from other native North American species in having large roots and multiple small flower heads on a branched stem.

[20] Stems are 30–150 cm, slender green, and freely branched,[20] smooth and glabrous (having no trichomes or glaucousness), mostly without spiny wings.

Honeybees are shown to have the highest visitation rate, followed by other bee species in the genera Halictus and Lasioglossum.

High antennal response are seen in consequence to the phenylacetaldehyde as well as the terpenes (oxoisophoroneoxide, oxoisophorone, and dihydrooxoisophorone) found in the blend.

[29] Variation in leaf characters (texture, vestiture, segmentation, spininess) is the basis for determining creeping thistle varieties.

[34] The flowers are visited by a wide variety of insects such as bees, moths, wasps and beetles[35] (the generalised pollination syndrome).

[37] It is also a serious invasive species in many additional regions where it has been introduced, usually accidentally as a contaminant in cereal crop seeds.

It is cited as a noxious weed in several countries; for example Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United States.

[38] A study conducted has shown that with future global atmospheric carbon levels, C. arvense have a risk of increased growth which could expand its range and outcompete native species.

[40] Orellia ruficauda feeds on Canada thistle and has been reported to be the most effective biological control agent for that plant.

[47] In 2013, in four countries in three continents, epidemics of systemic disease caused by this rust fungus could be routinely and easily established.

Reductions in thistle density were estimated, in 10 sites in the U.S., Greece, and Russia, to average 43%, 64%, and 81% by 18, 30, and 42 months, respectively, after a single application of spores of the fungus.

[49] Aceria anthocoptes feeds on this species and is considered to be a good potential biological control agent.

[citation needed] The leaves are also edible, though the spines make their preparation for food too tedious to be worthwhile.

[51] Bruichladdich distillery on Isle of Islay lists creeping thistle as one of the 22 botanical forages used in their gin, The Botanist.