It is desirable to wear a thick pair of gloves if one cuts the flowers to protect hands from sharp spines. Excellent source of late summer and early fall color. Propagation: Seed.
Comments
Blooms July-December. Most of the plant is some shade of purple. Flowers are minute, purple, and mingled with small, spiny bracts in an elongated, terminal, head-like cluster. The leaves are deeply lobed and tipped with stiff spines.
References
1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) Wasowski and Wasowski, Native Texas Plants Landscaping Region by Region, 1991, pg. 151. 3) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ERLE11. 4) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=1065&locationType=County&mapType=Normal. 5) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=29494#null