This biennial weed ("Scotch thistle") was initially used for food and medicine on the frontier. It became a widespread problem across northern states and adjacent Canada, but does not extend south of the central Ohio Valley and central Appalachian regions (FNA 19, Y, W). In Ky. it was first reported in 1914, when Gm noted: "at the edges of cities this striking thistle has become established in dense patches on waste ground and along railroads." However, it has remained generally uncommon and largely restricted to northern counties.