St Barnaby's Thistle - introduced (*Centaurea solsitialis)

Malta Thistle - introduced (*Centaurea melitensis)

Family: Asteraceae (Daisy Family).

Other names: Yellow Star Thistle (C. solsitialis).

Natives of Europe and western Asia.

Occurrence: Rare. Record St Barnaby's Thistle at Hamiltons Crossing 1987.

Identification:

• they are erect yellow-flowered thistles
• the the flowers are almost spherical, and have slender spines arising an more or less right anges from the flower

St Barnaby's Thistle is a proclaimed noxious weed (Restricted in Central Victoria).

St Barnaby's Thistle (*Centaurea solsitialis). The spines have one or two small spines rising from the base.
Malta Thistle (or Cock's-spur Thistle), (*Centaura melitensis) The slender spines have up to 3 pairs of small spines at the base.

Image 1: Dried specimen of St Barbnaby's Thistle from Hamiltons Crossing. 2: The very similar Malta Thistle. Terrick Terrick.