Carduus L.

Pope, G.V. (1992) Compositae Flora Zambesiaca 6(1)

Description of the genus

Perennial or annual herbs. Stems erect, simple, or branched above, usually spiny-winged. Leaves usually decurrent on the stem, usually pinnatifid, spinescent at the margins. Capitula discoid, in dense terminal clusters, sometimes solitary. Involucre globose or campanulate; phyllaries imbricate in many series, margins entire scabrous or ± ciliate (serrate or fimbriate). Receptacle flat or convex, pitted, densely setose. Corolla purple, pink or white, deeply 5-lobed. Fruit achenes glabrous, ovate-oblong, somewhat angled with a raised annular collar at the apex, attachment-scar basal; pappus many-seriate of scabrid setae united at the base.

Worldwide: 95 species, most native to Europe, Central Asia, North Africa and the Canary Islands.

Malawi: 1 taxon.

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Links to taxa:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this genus

SpeciesFZ divisionsContent
nyassanus (S.Moore) R.E.Fr. N,C,SDescription, Image

Other sources of information about Carduus:

Our websites:

Flora of Burundi: Carduus
Flora of Zambia: Carduus

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Carduus
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Carduus
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Carduus
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Carduus
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Carduus
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Carduus
JSTOR Plant Science: Carduus
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Carduus
Plants of the World Online: Carduus
Tropicos: Carduus
Wikipedia: Carduus

Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2014-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Malawi: Genus page: Carduus.
https://www.malawiflora.com/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=1915, retrieved 11 October 2024

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