WorldFloraDB - Carlina acaulis

Characteristics

A herb that has a 2 year life-cycle or can keep growing for a few years. It is a thistle. It grows 10 cm high and spreads 1 m wide. The stem is erect and unbranched. The leaves are in a ring at the base. They are deeply lobed along the stalk and are spiny. The flowers are star shaped and silvery white. They are 13 cm across. They occur singly at the top of the plant.

Life form

perennial

Growth form

herb

Growth support

-

Foliage retention

deciduous

Sexuality

hermaphrodite

Pollination

Spread

anemochory

Mature width (meter)

0.63

Mature height (meter)

0.15

Root system

-

Rooting depth (meter)

2.0

Root diameter (meter)

0.3

Flower color

Blooming months

Jan	Feb	Mar
Apr	May	Jun
Jul	Aug	Sep
Oct	Nov	Dec

Fruit color

-

Fruiting months

-

Nitrogen fixer

-

Photosynthetic pathway

c3

Environment

It is a temperate plant. It grows in poor pastures on limestone soils. It is often in stony and rocky places. It is resistant to drought and frost.

More

Poor soils in dry sandy pastures and on rocky slopes, especially on limestone.

Light
Soil humidity
Soil texture
Soil acidity
Soil nutriment
Hardiness (USDA)

Usage

The flower receptacle is boiled and eaten like artichoke. They are used in salads, boiled or in jam. The leaves are used to curdle milk.

Uses	material medicinal ornamental
Edible	flowers roots stems
Therapeutic use	Anti-bacterial agents (root), Cholagogues and choleretics (root), Diuretics (root), Liver diseases (root), Cancer (unspecified), Cholagogue (unspecified), Emmenagogue (unspecified), Diaphoretic (unspecified)
Human toxicity	-
Animal toxicity	-

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seeds.

Mode	seedlings
Germination duration (days)	22 - 44
Germination temperacture (C°)	16 - 18
Germination luminosity	light
Germination treatment	-
Minimum temperature (C°)	-35
Optimum temperature (C°)	-
Size	-
Vigor	-
Productivity	-