Common name:
Carline thistle
Family:
Scientific name:
Carlina vulgaris
Main flower color:
Range:
Most of England and Wales
Height:
Up to 60 cm
Habitat:
Dry grassland on limestone soils
Flowers:
Disc florets are light brown, ageing to dark brown or purplish; ray florets are nearly white, narrow and thin. Flowerheads are up to 4 cm in diameter, with a hemispherical involucre lined by two types of spiny phyllaries; the upper series are green to yellow-brown in colour, linear in outline, while those below are broader, green, lance-shaped. All phyllaries are edged with sharp spines
Leaves:
Lanceolate to oblong, edged by wavy, spiny lobes; cottony-hairy underneath
Season:
July to September
Rarity:
★★★★★
