Bull Thistle is it a Nuisance or a Necessity. Bull thistles history has been that of both nuisance and of necessity. This plant has become a nuisance to the farming and ranching communities that it has come into. Not only due to the plants abilities to come in and over take the land that was once all native grasses, but the landowners struggle to control the spread of this evasive plant. But if you look into the not so distant past, bull thistle was a plant of necessity to the Native people. It has been used as a medicaine by these people for centuries. To the people of Scotland this is a plant of beauty. But as you read you will become fully aware of all that this plant is.
The Road to North America
Bull thistle is native to Europe,…show more content… It can also be found as high as 9,200 feet about sea level.
How it reproduces As I said earlier Bull thistle reproduce with seeds. In some cases they might use self-pollination, but this will result in hollow seeds. So bull thistle requires cross-pollination to make fertile seeds. Plants that flower during the main flowering period, or where plants are growing very thick, will help the next generation. In favorable conditions Bull thistle Plants will grow 100 all the way up to 400 seeds per flower head. Seed production is also affected by the time of flowering. It is highest in the peak of the season.
Germination
Bull Thistle seeds viability is anywhere from 60-90%. This is normally from 60-75% in normal conditions. There are many things that come into play when the seeds are trying germinate for example: moisture, light availability, and temperature. Germination normally occurs in the spring or fall because of soil conditions. The amount of light has a lot to do with the germination of these seeds. So for instance if the amount of light in the area then the germination rate would also decrease. The temperatures that the seeds like to germinate in are 50-70 Degrees
