Linnaeus, C. (1 May 1753), Species Plantarum 2: 820 [tax. nov.]

• Type: (not designated).

Linnaeus, C. (1754), Genera Plantarum Edn. 5: 358 [secondary reference]

Hooker, J.D. (1859), Introductory Essay. The botany of the Antarctic voyage of H.M. Discovery ships Erebus and Terror. III. Flora Tasmaniae 2(11): cviii. [secondary reference]

Bailey, F.M. (1913), Comprehensive Catalogue of Queensland Plants: 276 [secondary reference]

Britton, N.L. & Brown, A. (7 June 1913), An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States, Canada and the British possessions Edn. 2, 3: 554 [secondary reference]

• Type: Carduus nutans L.

Black, J.M. (1929), Bignoniaceae - Compositae. Flora of South Australia 4: 653 [secondary reference]

• Etymology: "Latin name for several species of thistle."

Black, J.M. & Robertson, E.L. (1957), Flora of South Australia Edn. 2, 4: 934 [secondary reference]

• Etymology: "Latin name for several species of thistle."

Arenes, J. (1959), Notulae Systematicae (Paris): 390-410 [secondary reference]

Beadle, N.C.W., Evans, O.D. & Carolin, R.C. (1962), Handbook of the Vascular Plants of the Sydney District and Blue Mountains: 379 [secondary reference]

Curtis, W.M. (1963), Angiospermae: Lythraceae to Epacridaceae. The Student's Flora of Tasmania 2: 375 [secondary reference]

Kazmi, S.M.A. (1964), Revision der Gattung Carduus (Compositae). Mitteilungen der Botanischen Staatssammlung Munchen 5: 300-301 [secondary reference]

Burbidge, N.T. & Gray, M. (1970), Flora of the Australian Capital Territory: 392, Fig. 392. [secondary reference]

common name: Slender Thistle [n/a]

Cronquist, A.J. (1981), An Integrated System of Classification of Flowering Plants: 1025 [secondary reference]

Jacobs, S.W.L. & Pickard, J. (1981), Plants of New South Wales: 74 [secondary reference]

Stanley, T.D. in Stanley, T.D. & Ross, E.M. (1986), Asteraceae. Flora of South-eastern Queensland 2: 581 [secondary reference]

Lander, N.S. in Marchant, N.G., Wheeler, J.R., Rye, B.L., Bennett, E.M., Lander, N.S. & Macfarlane, T.D. (1987), Asteraceae. Flora of the Perth Region 2: 665 [secondary reference]

Murray, L. in Harden, G.J. (ed.) (1992), Carduus. Flora of New South Wales 3: 321 [secondary reference]

Jeanes, J.A. in Walsh, N.G. & Entwisle, T.J. (ed.) (1999), Asteraceae. Flora of Victoria 4: 669 [secondary reference]

Wheeler, J.R., Marchant, N.G. & Lewington, M. (2002), Dicotyledons. Flora of the South West 2: 498 [secondary reference]

Anderberg, A.A., Baldwin, B.G., Bayer, R.G., Breitwieser, I., Jeffrey, C., Dillon, M.O., Eldenäs, P., Funk, V., Garcia-Jacas, N., Hind, D.J.N., Karis, P.O., Lack, H.W., Nesom, G., Nordenstam, B., Oberprieler, C., Panero, J.J., Puttock, C., Robinson, H., Stuessy, T.F., Susanna, A., Urtubey, E., Vogt, R., Ward, J. & Watson, L.E. in Kubitzki, K. (ed.) (2007), Compositae. The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants 8: 132 [secondary reference]

Mabberley, D.J. (1 May 2008), Mabberley's Plant-Book Edn. 3: 152 [secondary reference]

Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria (2011), Australian Plant Census: - APC [secondary reference]

• APC Dist.: WA (naturalised), SA (naturalised), Qld (naturalised), NSW (naturalised), NI (naturalised), ACT (naturalised), Vic (naturalised), Tas (naturalised)

Bean, A.R. in Wilson, A.J.G. (ed.) (2015), Asteraceae Subfam. 2. Carduoideae Trib. 1. Cardueae. Flora of Australia 37: 51-52 [secondary reference]

• Etymology: "this is the ancient Latin name for these thistles."

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