Cirsium perplexans

Cirsium perplexans is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names Rocky Mountain thistle and Adobe Hills thistle. It is endemic to Colorado in the United States, where it occurs in the Colorado and Gunnison River Valleys in the Rocky Mountains. This species is a biennial herb growing up to one meter tall from a taproot. The stems are coated thinly in webby fibers. The leaves are up to 30 centimeters long by 6 wide. They are sometimes unlobed but have toothed margins. The leaves have woolly fibers, especially on the undersides. The flower heads contain long lavender or purplish florets. The fruit is an achene which may exceed 2 centimeters in length including its pappus. This species is found in western Colorado, usually on open outcrops of clay-based soils called "adobe hills". Habitat types include pinyon-juniper woodland, sagebrush, saltbrush, and shrublands. Dominant plant species include Pinus edulis (pinyon pine), Juniperus osteosperma (Utah jun......read more on Wikipedia.