This prickly character can be found on the Ecological Mound.
An erect, monocarpic biennial, Cirsium eriophorum is commonly known as the woolly thistle, an apt name given the hairy, almost woolly nature of the leaves and involucre (whorl of bracts surrounding the inflorescence). It has a rosette of spine-tipped, pinnatifid, basal leaves, and a hairy stem which carries numerous spined leaves. The inflorescence has an involucre whose outer bracts are spine‐tipped, and a corolla of red-purple florets with purple anthers. C. eriophorum occurs throughout central and western Europe, and the Balkan peninsula, and is native to the British Isles. It is a calcareous species occurring on grassland, open scrub and woods, and also enjoys disturbed situations.