Thistle
Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterized by leaves with sharp spikes on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae.
Typically, an involucre with a clasping shape similar to a cup or urn subtends each of a thistle's flower heads.
The term thistle is sometimes taken to mean precisely those plants in the tribe Cardueae (synonym: Cynareae),[3] especially the genera Carduus, Cirsium, and Onopordum.
[8] Thistles and thistle-seed feeders provide important sustenance for goldfinches and the flowers are strongly favoured by many butterflies besides fritillaries such as the monarch, skippers, and the various types of tiger swallowtail.
A problem with this approach, at least in North America, is that the introduced weevils may affect native thistles at least as much as the desired targets.
Some ecological organizations, such as the Xerces Society, have attempted to raise awareness of their benefits to counteract the general agricultural and home garden labeling of thistles as weeds.
[7] Bull thistle was a top producer of nectar sugar in another study in Britain, ranked third with a production per floral unit of (2323 ± 418μg).
[5] Pliny and medieval writers thought it could return hair to bald heads and that in the early modern period it was believed to be a remedy for headaches, plague, cancer sores, vertigo, and jaundice.
[18] Similarly, some species of Silybum that occur as weeds are cultivated for seeds that yield vegetable oil and pharmaceutical compounds such as Silibinin.
While not confirmed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human services, milk thistle has shown beneficial results in previous studies for people with HCV.
[26][27] In 1536, the bawbee, a sixpence in the pound Scots, was issued for the first time under King James V; it showed a crowned thistle.
Following his ascent to the English throne, King James VI of Scotland & I of England used a badge consisting of a Tudor rose "dimidiated" with a Scottish thistle and surmounted by a royal crown.
Beside the Tudor rose and Irish shamrock the thistle appears on the badge of the Yeomen of the Guard and the arms of the Canada Company.
The thistle is also the emblem of the Encyclopædia Britannica (which originated in Edinburgh, Scotland) and Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited (as the company was founded by two Scots).
Popular modern usage favours cotton thistle (Onopordum acanthium), perhaps because of its more imposing appearance, though it is not native and unlikely to have occurred in Scotland in mediaeval times.
In the Middle Ages, the thistle was an emblem of the Virgin Mary because its white sap would bring to mind the milk falling from the breast of the Mother of God.
It seems through his book Livre du cuer d'amours espris that the Duke chose the thistle as his emblem not only because it was a Christian symbol, but also because he associated it with physical love.
