1. Tall Old World biennial thistle with large clasping white-blotched leaves and purple flower heads; naturalized in California and South America
   - milk thistle, lady's thistle, Our Lady's mild thistle, holy thistle, Silybum marianum 
2. Annual of Mediterranean to Portugal having hairy stems and minutely spiny-toothed leaves and large heads of yellow flowers
   - sweet sultan, Cnicus benedictus

Derived forms: blessed thistles

Type of: herb, herbaceous plant, thistle

Part of: Cnicus, genus Cnicus, genus Silybum, Silybum

Encyclopedia: Blessed thistle

• Parasitaxus
• Parasitaxus ustus
• parasite
• parasite yew
• parasitemia
• parasitic
• parasitic jaeger
• parasitic plant
• parasitic worm
• parasitical
• parasitically
• parasiticidal
• parasiticide
• parasitism
• parasitology
• parasol
• parasol mushroom
• parasympathetic
• parasympathetic nervous system
• parasympathomimetic
• parasynthetic
• paratactic
• parataxis
• paratha
• Parathelypteris