CARLINE THISTLE

Carlina Vulgaris

Daisy Family [Asteraceae]

7th Aug 2009, Ainsdale Sand Dune Slacks, Southport.

Photo: © RWD

Grows in very small patches. Leaves are short and narrow, but very spiny and curve downwards.

8th July 2009, Ainsdale Sand Dune Slacks, Southport.

Photo: © RWD

At first the head consists only of a mass of dark brown or black spines intertwined with a net of white fibres resembling cotton wool. It looks sinister and definitely untouchable.

8th July 2009, Ainsdale Sand Dune Slacks, Southport.

Photo: © RWD

Mass of branched black spines in 'wool'. Leaves and green bracts arranged so as, from above, to present a clock-like pattern of neatly radiating short leaves arranged at precise and even angles.

7th Aug 2009, Ainsdale Sand Dune Slacks, Southport.

Photo: © RWD

The opened heads of one branched thistle. The heads look dead, this is their normal appearance.

7th Aug 2009, Ainsdale Sand Dune Slacks, Southport.

Photo: © RWD

As the heads push open through the 'cotton wool' veil, the mass of menacing dark spines are relegated to being hidden below the head.

15th July 2005, Warton Crag, Silverdale, Lancs.

Photo: © RWD

The head fully open displaying the straw-coloured bracts characteristic of this thistle.

7th Aug 2009, Ainsdale Sand Dune Slacks, Southport.

Photo: © RWD

The inner florets are at first also straw yellow, but purple petals start to emerge from the periphery, gradually proceeding towards the centre.

7th Aug 2009, Ainsdale Sand Dune Slacks, Southport.

Photo: © RWD

The central florets bulging upwards, surrounded by the straw-coloured bracts hiding the now faded spines and finally the neatly arranged radial green 'leaves' (which are actually yet more bracts).

7th Aug 2009, Ainsdale Sand Dune Slacks, Southport.

Photo: © RWD

The straw bracts fold over to cover the top in wet weather (not shown).

7th Aug 2009, Ainsdale Sand Dune Slacks, Southport.

Photo: © RWD

The purple disc-florets in an outer ring poised to invade the centre.

7th Aug 2009, Ainsdale Sand Dune Slacks, Southport.

Photo: © RWD

Purple disc-florets invading the centre. The now outer florets turning black.

7th Aug 2009, Ainsdale Sand Dune Slacks, Southport.

Photo: © RWD

The leaves are short, narrow, but spiny and present a hyperbolic surface: they curve upwards across the width and downwards longitudinally.

9th Sept 2009, Ainsdale Sand Dune Slacks, Southport.

Photo: © RWD

the dead flower, after the season is over, looking much like it did when extant.

Lookee-Likees : Other, but dead, thistles. Carline Thistle looks like this when vibrant and alive.

Uniquely identifiable characteristics : (For a thistle), the straw-coloured bracts with a deeper straw-coloured centre containing a concentric ring of purple florets.

For a thistle it is quite short, no taller than about a foot. It prefers to grow on limey soils but seems equally at home on the slacks of older sand dunes.

Carline Thistle is the only member of the Carline Genus (at least so in the UK). Most, but not all, other thistles are either of Genus Cirsium or Carduus. All belong to the very extensive Daisy Family.

A POLYACETYLENE
Carline Thistle contains the acetylide Carlina Oxide or Carlinoxide (furylbenzylacetylene), which is stomachic, carminative, diaphoretic and an antibiotic.

Carline Thistle contains the acetylide Carline Oxide or Carlinoxide (furylbenzylacetylene), which is the main compound (85% - 90%) of the essential oil from the plant which has a long history of medicinal use in Europe due to its anti-microbial properties. It is active against two strains of MRSA and a number of other difficult infections. It is stomachic, carminative, diaphoretic and an antibiotic.

The flower head was once used as a humidity gauge, for the bracts close in the higher humidity typical of impending rain.

ANY TEXT GOES HERE

Distribution
family8Daisy family8dandelion family8Asteraceae

BSBI maps

Carlina