Carlina acaulis
Carlina acaulis | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Asterales |
Family: | Asteraceae |
Genus: | Carlina |
Species: | C. acaulis
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Binomial name | |
Carlina acaulis |
Carlina acaulis, the stemless carline thistle, dwarf carline thistle, or silver thistle, is a perennial dicotyledonous flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to alpine regions of central and southern Europe.[1] The specific name acaulis (New Latin for "without a stem," from Latin caulis "stem" or "stalk") and common names are descriptive of the manner in which its flower head rests directly upon a basal leaf rosette.
The spiny, pinnatilobate leaves grow in a basal rosette approximately 20 cm in diameter. The flowers are produced in a large (up to 10 cm) flowerhead of silvery-white ray florets around a central disc. The disc florets are tubular and yellow-brown in colour. To protect the pollen, the head closes in wet weather, a phenomenon folklore holds to presage forthcoming rain.[2] The flowering time is between August and September.
It prefers chalky soils and dry pastures in environments from valleys up to an altitude of 2,800 m.
- Subspecies
There are two subspecies:[1]
- Carlina acaulis subsp. acaulis – inflorescences sessile
- Carlina acaulis subsp. simplex – inflorescences with a short stem
Uses[]
The rhizome contains a number of essential oils, in particular the antibacterial .[3] The root was formerly employed in herbal medicine as a diuretic and cold remedy.[4]
While young, the flowerhead bud can be cooked and eaten in a similar manner to the Globe artichoke, which earned it the nickname of hunter's bread.
It is sometimes cultivated as a rockery plant, or dried and hung as a house decoration.
In Basque culture it was traditionally used as symbol of good fortune, fixed into the frontal door of the house and was given by the goddess Mari.
References[]
- ^ a b Flora Europaea: Carlina acaulis, retrieved 2008-01-21
- ^ Botany Online, Carlina acaulis, weather clock, archived from the original on 2007-06-11, retrieved 2008-01-21
- ^ Florkin, Marcel, Comprehensive Biochemistry, Elsevier, p. 216
- ^ Harborne, Jeffrey B. (30 August 2001), Chemical Dictionary of Economic Plants, Wiley, p. 12, ISBN 0-471-49226-4
- Carlina
- Alpine flora
- Medicinal plants of Europe
- Plants described in 1753
- Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus