In the center of a very small road all kinds of plants grow, the tarmac is nearly invisible. Thorny rosettes came out last autumn, normally they should give stems with flowers this year.
In this place it is not very probable that big thistles will develop. Just beside the road there is another rosette. Here circumstances are better for the development of the Plymouth Thistle (Carduus pycnocephalus).
The leaves are a bit soft and hairy at the underside. The points that carry spines are white.
Plymouth Thistle is a rather spindly plant. It flowers end of May and June with many small flower heads.
Maybe its colour is a bit more pink than other thistles. The stalks are covered in fine hairs and spines that give it a silvery sheen. The leaves are no longer soft, and really thorny.
Under the flowers the stalk has no thorns but only short, silky hairs.
Plymouth Thistle is very rare in Dordogne, but maybe its presence is underestimated, it is not a very conspicuous plant. It grows in cultures and ruderalized corners. Originally a plant from the Mediterranean it has been introduced in America and Australia where it is now considered as a pest difficult to eradicate. But here you are glad when you meet it!