Asteraceae

Carduus L.

First published in Sp. Pl.: 820 (1753)
This genus is accepted
The native range of this genus is Temp. & Subtropical Eurasia, Macaronesia to Ethiopia.

Descriptions

Ghazanfar, S. A., Edmondson, J. R. & Hind, D. J. N. (Eds). (2019). Flora of Iraq, Volume 6: Compositae.Kew Publishing

Morphology General Habit
Annual, biennial or perennial herbs
Morphology Stem
Stem glabrous to densely pilose
Morphology Leaves
Basal leaves forming a rosette, entire or incised, spinous-margined; cauline leaves spinous, commonly decurrent to form spinous wings down the stem, entire or sinuate to bipinnatisect, surfaces glabrous to hairy but never spinulose-strigose
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum
Capitula homogamous, ± globose to cylindrical, solitary and long-pedunculate to clustered and sessile
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Phyllaries
Phyllaries multiseriate, erect to reflexed, all but innermost spine-tipped, glabrous to ± floccose or lanate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Receptacle
Receptacle clothed with long, bristly hairs
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Florets regular or zygomorphic, corollas purple to pink or rarely white, bisexual-Achenes oblong-ovate, compressed, glabrous, smooth or variably striate, apex with a circumferential rim and central umbo; setae multiseriate, of scabrous hairs united at base and falling complete.
Distribution
About 80 species in the temperate and subtemperate regions of the Old World, and at high altitudes in tropical Africa; 3 species in Iraq.
Recognition
The thistles of this genus differ from Cirsium by the shortly scabrid (not plumose) pappus setae.
Etymology
Carduus (from Gr. καρδυυς, karduus, the name used by Dioscorides for this plant). Plumeless Thistle (Eng.).
[FIQ]

Compositae, G. V. Pope. Flora Zambesiaca 6:1. 1992

Morphology General Habit
Perennial or annual herbs.
Morphology Stem
Stems erect, simple, or branched above, usually spiny-winged.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves usually decurrent on the stem, pinnatifid in the Flora Zambesiaca area (or undivided and serrate, or sinuate-dentate to 2-pinnatisect), spinescent at the margins.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum
Capitula homogamous, discoid, in dense terminal clusters, sometimes solitary.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Involucre
Involucre globose or campanulate, glabrous to densely araneose; phyllaries imbricate in many series, ± deflexed in the upper part, coriaceous or scarious, narrowly lanceolate and spine-tipped, margins entire scabrous or ± ciliate (serrate or fimbriate).
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Receptacle
Receptacle flat or convex, pitted, densely setose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Florets hermaphrodite; corollas purple, pink or white, deeply 5-lobed (sometimes ± 2-lipped); anther bases sagittate, adjacent auricles connate and produced into an entire or lacerated tail; style shortly and obtusely 2-lobed, abruptly thickened below the fork with a ring of hairs below the thickening.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Achenes glabrous, ovate-oblong, somewhat angled with a raised annular collar at the apex, attachment-scar basal and oblique or ± horizontal; pappus many-seriate of scabrid setae united at the base.
[FZ]

Compositae, H. Beentje, C. Jeffrey & D.J.N. Hind. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2005

Morphology General Habit
Annual or perennial herbs
Morphology Stem
Stems spiny-winged
Morphology Leaves
Leaves dentate-pinnatisect, spiny
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Capitulum
Capitula solitary, corymbose or variously clustered, often subtended by reduced, bract-like leaves; phyllaries multiseriate, the outermost shorter than the inner
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Florets
Florets sometimes with corolla slightly zygomorphic through one deeply split-off lobe; anther filaments pilose
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Achenes smooth, glabrous, with an apical rim; pappus of deciduous scabrid or barbellate bristles, basally connate in a ring.
[FTEA]

Common Names

unknown
cardo santo

Sources

  • EBC Common Names

    • Common Names from Kew's Economic Botany Collection https://www.kew.org/science/collections-and-resources/collections/economic-botany-collection

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Iraq

    • Ghazanfar, S. A., Edmondson, J. R. (Eds). (2013-2019). Flora of Iraq, Volumes 5.1, 5.2 and 6.0. Kew Publishing
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images