Cynara cardunculus
Common names
Cardoon
Biostatus
Exotic
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledonous composites
Flower colours
Violet/Purple, White
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)
Conservation status
Not applicable
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Ecology
Flowering
November, December, January, February, March
Fruiting
February, March
Year naturalised
1897
Origin
Mediterranean
Life cycle and dispersal
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)
Other information
Etymology
cynara: From the Greek kyon ‘dog’, referring to the spines on the involucre suggesting a dog’s teeth