37 - Cirsium japonicum 'Shiro Fukurin Fu'

(Pot Sz: 3" pot)

Common name: Shiro Fukurin Fu Japanese thistle

¤ herbaceous perennial to 5"

¤ plant in sun

¤ hardy to zone 4

¤ pale pink flowers in spring

A variegated weed! This curiosity from Japan has the same rosette of spiny-edge leaves as other thistles but is unusual in that it is variegated with an irregular white, silver-green, and light-green leaf edge. Leaves are edible when young so you can make a variegated salad with it. The flowers are typical for a thistle, pale-pink and held about 2' above the leaves. Mark says he cuts the flower stalks off as they are not as showy as the basal rosette of foliage.