- Carlina acaulis
-
Carlina acaulis 
Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae (unranked): Angiosperms (unranked): Eudicots (unranked): Asterids Order: Asterales Family: Asteraceae Tribe: Cynareae Genus: Carlina Species: C. acaulis Binomial name Carlina acaulis
L., 1753Carlina acaulis (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 common names are descriptive of the manner that 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 carlina oxide.[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.
References
- ^ a b Flora Europaea: Carlina acaulis, http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/cgi-bin/nph-readbtree.pl/feout?FAMILY_XREF=&GENUS_XREF=Carlina&SPECIES_XREF=acaulis&TAXON_NAME_XREF=&RANK=, retrieved 2008-01-21
- ^ Botany Online, Carlina acaulis, weather clock, http://www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/b-online/e32/carlina.htm, retrieved 2008-01-21
- ^ Florkin, Marcel, Comprehensive Biochemistry, Elsevier, p. 216
- ^ Harborne, Jeffrey B., Chemical Dictionary of Economic Plants, Wiley, p. 12, ISBN 0471492264
Categories:- Carlina
- Alpine flora
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