Could a tumbleweed by any other name be an icon of the American West?
Probably not. Especially since the other name is Russian thistle.
Either way, we’re stuck with the ubiquitous born-toroll plants — green and growing or dead and blowing between fences.
Native to Eurasia, Russian thistles reportedly arrived in North America in the 1870s, possibly as stowaways with flax seed.
“Reportedly” is a conveni…