Dwarf Thistle
Cirsium acaulon
Cirsium acaule or acaulon has the English name dwarf thistle or stemless thistle. It is widespread across much of Europe.
Photo: iNaturalist: (c) glebnsk, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Taxonomy & Classification
Kingdom
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Order
Asterales
Family
Asteraceae
Genus
Cirsium
Dwarf Thistle belongs to the family Asteraceae, order Asterales, within the Magnoliopsida class.
Species Profile
Cirsium acaule or acaulon has the English name dwarf thistle or stemless thistle. It is widespread across much of Europe. It is often found on short, calcerous grasslands.
Dwarf Thistle (Cirsium acaulon) faces severe population declines primarily due to habitat loss and degradation of its specialized chalk grassland ecosystems. Agricultural intensification, urban development, and changes in traditional grazing practices have dramatically reduced the availability of suitable short-turf calcareous grasslands that this species requires.
Key Facts
Habitat & Distribution
Threats
IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
Dwarf Thistle (Cirsium acaulon) faces severe population declines primarily due to habitat loss and degradation of its specialized chalk grassland ecosystems. Agricultural intensification, urban development, and changes in traditional grazing practices have dramatically reduced the availability of suitable short-turf calcareous grasslands that this species requires.
Cessation of traditional grazing leading to scrubland encroachment
Habitat loss from agricultural conversion
Urban and infrastructure development
Agricultural intensification and fertilizer use
Climate change affecting chalk grassland ecosystems
Community Sightings
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Sources & Attribution
How to Cite
IUCN: IUCN (2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-1. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS
GBIF: GBIF.org (2025). GBIF Home Page. Available at: https://www.gbif.org
This page: SpeciesRadar (2025). Dwarf Thistle (Cirsium acaulon). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/dwarf-thistle