Carthamus leucocaulos

Sibthorp & Smith

Fl. Graec. Prodr. 2(1): 160. 1813.

Common names: White-stem distaff thistle
WeedyIntroduced
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 19. Treatment on page 179. Mentioned on page 180.

Plants 30–100 cm, herbage glabrescent. Stems rigidly erect, shiny white, often much-branched distally. Leaves basal and cauline; basal often absent at anthesis, petioles winged, blades pinnately divided into 6–8 pairs of narrow lobes; cauline spreading or recurved, lanceolate to ovate, rigid, clasping, 3–7-veined from base, margins pinnately divided into 2–3 pairs of short, spine-tipped lobes, apices spine-tipped. Involucres ovoid, 10–13 mm, usually ± glabrous. Outer phyllaries ascending or ± spreading, very shiny, 40–50 mm, 2.5–3.5 times as long as inner, terminal appendages spreading to ascending, spiny-lobed, prominently spine-tipped. Corollas pink or pale-purple, 13–17 mm, throats abruptly expanded; anthers white or pink with purple stripes; pollen white. Cypselae brown, 3–5 mm, outer roughened; pappus-scales 5–7 mm. 2n = 20 (Greece).


Phenology: Flowering summer (Jun–Aug).
Habitat: Disturbed sites
Elevation: 0–200 m

Distribution

V19-201-distribution-map.gif

Introduced; Calif., Europe (Greece), Europe (islands of Aegean Sea)

Discussion

Between 1969 and 1990 an infestation of this noxious weed was documented in Sonoma County. Efforts to eradicate it were apparently successful.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"fine" is not a number.

... more about "Carthamus leucocaulos"
short-tailed +
pink +  and white +
rounded;acute +
scarious +
oblong +, lobed +  and spiny-dentate +
indeterminate +  and determinate +
David J. Keil +
Sibthorp & Smith +
decurrent +
Asteraceae tribe Cynareae +
compound +  and simple +
dentate +  and pinnately lobed +
divided +
10-nerved or 20-nerved +  and rugose +
lanceolate +  and ovate +
White-stem distaff thistle +
actinomorphic +
pale-purple +  and pink +
1.3 cm13 mm <br />0.013 m <br /> (1.7 cm17 mm <br />0.017 m <br />) +
4-angled +, oblong +  and obpyramidal +
fertile +  and bisexual +
Calif. +, Europe (Greece) +  and Europe (islands of Aegean Sea) +
0–200 m +
glabrous +, tomentose +  and more or less +
pistillate +, staminate +  and neuter +
winged +  and beaked +
dispersed +
Disturbed sites +
in few-headed cymiform arrays +  and singly +
indeterminate +
each +  and sessile +
constricted +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.3 cm13 mm <br />0.013 m <br />) +
sessile +  and petiolate +
cauline +  and basal +
deltate +, usually narrowly triangular +  and more or less linear +
entire +  and dentate +
2.5-3.5 times as long as inner phyllaries +
spreading +  and ascending +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
2-carpellate +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
persistent +
Flowering summer (Jun–Aug). +
papillate +  and smooth +
distinct +  and fused +
papillate +
Fl. Graec. Prodr. +
bearing subulate enations +, hairy +  and bristly +
convex;conic +
dentate +  and smooth +
overlapping +
subulate +
unequal +
exalbuminous +
several;4;5 +
Weedy +  and Introduced +
much-branched +
appendaged +  and truncate +
dilated +  and swollen +
enlarged +
Compositae +
Carthamus leucocaulos +
Carthamus +
species +
short-campanulate +  and cylindric +
expanded +
slender +
perennial +  and annual +
30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br /> (180 cm1,800 mm <br />1.8 m <br />) +