Daisy & Dandelion Family [Asteraceae] |
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29th June 2016, Chatham, Kent. | Photo: © Paul Wright |
Grows to 60cm tall but this specimen rather lifeless due to it experiencing drought conditions. |
29th June 2016, Darland. | Photo: © Paul Wright |
Rather shrubby. |
29th June 2016, Darland. | Photo: © Paul Wright |
Spend flower-heads with just their long almost-white, sharply-pointed phyllaries showing in a star shape. |
29th June 2016, Darland. | Photo: © Paul Wright |
Only one head still in flower. Purple disc-florets with darker-purple or indigo tips. |
29th June 2016, Darland. | Photo: © Paul Wright |
Darker-purple to indigo stigmas protrude from each 5-pointed disc-floret. |
29th June 2016, Darland. | Photo: © Paul Wright |
The sharply-pointed and long phyllaries are one of the plants most identifying features, although two other Star-thistles (Yellow Star-Thistle and Maltese Star-thistle) have similar ones, these are the largest (with the terminal spine being longer than 1cm) and longest of the three. Those on a fourth, Rough Star-thistleare far shorter, whilst those on a fifth, Lesser Star-thistle, lack any sort of spines. |
29th June 2016, Darland. | Photo: © Paul Wright |
The upper leaves may be linear with a few teeth. Lower leaves may be deeply lobed. |
29th June 2016, Darland. | Photo: © Paul Wright |
The spines are sharp! |
Not to be semantically confused with : Some similarities to : Prickly Lettuce (Lactuca serriola) but that has yellow flowerheads which lack the very long yellowish star-like bracts beneath them. More resemblance to : Yellow Star-Thistle (Centaurea solstitialis) but that has yellow flowerheads and shorter and possibly more numerous yellow bracts beneath. Uniquely identifiable characteristics Distinguishing Feature : Never extensive across the UK it now occupies ever fewer hectads, about 10 in the decade from 2000-2009, most being near the coast in West Sussex. Now a rarer plant, (2016) occupying but 8 or so hectads. It thought to be an archaeophyte having been possibly originally imported into the UK. It is a biennial.
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Centaurea | calcitrapa | ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ | Asteraceae |
Centaurea (Knapweeds) |
Daisy & Dandelion Family [Asteraceae] |