State Noxious Weed List - No

Growth form: Perennial that grows two to four feet tall or taller. The leaves are alternate and tipped with yellow spines. The leaves are very pubescent giving the plant a gray cast and are less deeply lobed than Flodman thistle. The flowers are pink to purple, often more than 2 inches in diameter, with globed shaped heads. The yellow spines on the heads lack the sticky secretion found on Flodman thistle.

Wavyleaf thistle is a native species and predominates in western North Dakota, while Flodman is more common in the east. In general, wavyleaf is a larger plant and more gray in color than Flodman. Wavyleaf thistle is a food source for a variety of insect and bird species, which keeps the plant from becoming weedy.

Rosettes leaves are very wavy and gray in appearance and especially pubescent underneath. The achenes are brown and lack an apical band.