Species library · Plants & herbs
Cirsium oleraceum
Typically in season from January to December in the northern hemisphere. Has toxic lookalikes, so check carefully.
Photo: (c) Grzegorz Grzejszczak, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Grzegorz Grzejszczak · iNaturalist
Typical window in the northern hemisphere. The southern hemisphere runs about six months offset, and your own timing depends on local weather, so check your town.
Similar species: Creeping thistle, Spear thistle, Marsh thistle. Only forage with a confident ID.
Open Cabbage Thistle in the Forage app for its full field guide entry with more photos, key features and toxic lookalikes to check against. Add it to your watchlist and the app pings you the moment it comes into season at your exact spot, worked out from live weather, elevation and billions of occurrence records.
Cabbage Thistle is generally in season from January to December in temperate northern regions. The exact timing shifts with latitude, elevation and each year's weather. Check the Season Finder for your own location.
Similar species: Creeping thistle, Spear thistle, Marsh thistle. Only forage with a confident ID. Never eat any wild plant, berry, nut or mushroom unless you are completely certain of the identification. Check every find against a reliable field guide, and when in doubt, don't.
Forage helps you discover and identify wild plants, but identification is never 100% certain. Many edible plants have toxic lookalikes. Never eat anything you find based only on what this app tells you. Always confirm with a field guide, an experienced forager or a local expert. The season score tells you where to look, too: it’s not a guarantee. Mind conservation law and property rights as well.
Species photos via Wikimedia Commons and iNaturalist · full credits
