The Aomori thistle (Cirsium aomorense) belongs to Asteraceae (the Aster family). This species is a northern type of "Nohara-azami" (Cirsium tanakae) distributed in the central and northern part of Honshu in Japan. This herb grows from flatlands to subalpine grasslands and can reach 30-100 cm in height. The basal leaves are obovate to oval, 50-60 cm long, have a dull luster, and split once or twice in pinnately clefts to partites. The veins are purplish red. The one or two magenta flower heads bloom upward on the shoot apex from August to October. The flower head is about 4 cm in diameter, and the bracts are bell-shaped and have spider hairs, and are usually not sticky. The fruit is achene about 5 mm long and has a pappus of about 15 mm. It is also known by the alternative name "Oono-azami".