| No | 23 |
| Common Name: | Spear Thistle |
| Scientific Name: | Cirsium vulgare |
| Irish Name: | Feochadán colgach |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Habitat: | Disturbed ground, roadside verges, field edges |
| Uses: | This thistle is thought to be the plant chosen by James II for Scotland’s emblem as it was a symbol of defence. This is also reflected by the motto on the coinage of James VI ‘Nemo me impune lacessit’ which translates as ‘Nobody touches me with impunity’. |
Next: St John’s Wort
Ballinacree Historical Society 