Cynara cardunculus
Common name
Cardoon
Family
Asteraceae
Flora category
Vascular – Exotic
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledonous composites
Conservation status
Not applicable
Detailed description
The flowers of the cardoon are thistle like with globular heads, from which mauve-purple tufts into a flat-topped inflorescence (there is also a white flowered form of C. cardunculus). (Ermert and Clapp 1998)
Flowering
November, December, January, February, March
Flower colours
Violet/Purple, White
Fruiting
February, March
Life cycle
Reproduces by seeds (the long seeds are brown or black). The seeds are large and relatively heavy, thereby making them unsuitable for spreading by wind, although they can blow along the ground. (Ermert and Clapp 1998)
Year naturalised
1897
Origin
Mediterranean
Etymology
cynara: From the Greek kyon ‘dog’, referring to the spines on the involucre suggesting a dog’s teeth