Taxon Report

Cirsium praeteriens J.F. Macbride

lost thistle

Print Report


Taxon Summary

Cirsium praeteriens, commonly known as lost thistle, is a perennial herb in the Asteraceae that is found only in California. It occurs within , growing at elevations from 0 to 100 meters. Cirsium praeteriens is ranked 1A, Plants Presumed Extirpated in California and Either Rare or Extinct Elsewhere.

  Classification
Scientific Name:
 Cirsium praeteriens J.F. Macbride
Common Name:
 lost thistle
Family: Asteraceae
Element Code: PDAST2E2B0
USDA Plants Symbol: CIPR2
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History
Lifeform: perennial herb
Blooming Period: Jun-Jul Jun-Jul
Elevation: 0-100 (0-330)
General Habitats:
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status
CA Rare Plant Rank: 1A
Global Rank: GX
State Rank:
 SX
State List: None
Fed List: None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB
Total Occurrences: 1
Element Occurrence Ranks:
   Excellent (A) 0
   Good (B) 0
   Fair (C) 0
   Poor (D) 0
   None (X) 1
   Unknown (U) 0

Location
California Endemic:  True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
San Mateo (SMT), Santa Clara (SCL)*
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Palo Alto (3712242)*

Threat List Data from the CNDDB

Threat List Total: 0
EOs with Threat Listed: Total EOs % of EOs
0 %

 

Notes
Known from only two collections from Palo Alto (last in 1901). Perhaps represents a casual introduction from the Old World. Not in The Jepson Manual. See Contributions from the Gray Herbarium 53:19 (1918) for original description.
Threats:
Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 6 November 2025].