Threatened, Endangered, and Proposed (TEP) Plant Profile
Cirsium pitcheri. Photo by Charles and Diane Peirce, Michigan Wildflowers.
Cirsium pitcheri habitat. View of Lake Michigan west of Mackinac Bridge. Photo by Charles and Diane Peirce, Michigan Wildflowers.
Cirsium pitcheri range map.
Cirsium pitcheri, Pitcher’s thistle
ESA Status
Visit the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Species Profile link below for links to listing and other USFWS documents.
- Listed Threatened 1988
- Recovery Plan 2002 (PDF, 1.0 MB)
Threats
- Shoreline stabilization projects which alter local dune geomorphic processes, precluding creation and maintenance of Pitcher’s thistle habitat
- Habitat loss by construction of homes, resorts, roads and marinas, sand mining
- Erosion when lake levels are high
- Trampling from beach and dune visitors, and off-road vehicle (ORV) users
- Predation by non-native insects introduced to control weedy thistles
- Competition from non-native weeds