Silybum Marianum

Description

Family: Asteraceae

Genus: Silybum

Species: marianum

An annual or overwintering annual, native to the Mediterranean and now widely naturalized across the planet, milk thistle is a striking plant growing from 3 to 7 feet tall with large smooth, glossy green leaves edged with sharp spines and painted with veins of creamy white. According to tradition, these veins originated from the milk of the Virgin Mary falling upon a plant, hence the plant alternate names Mary Thistle, or Saint Mary’s Thistle. It bears beautiful bee-loving, solitary, bright purple flower heads, which give rise to the brown-black seeds. The plant prefers moist, rich calcareous soil with full sun, but will tolerate part of the shade.

Propagate by seed sown in late spring or early summer. Because milk thistle is a tap-rooted plant, it does not take to transplant and does poorly in pots. It is best sown directly in the soil either in the early spring for a late summer harvest or in late summer, allowing the rosettes to overwinter