Carduus acanthoides, L.

Tutin, T. G., Heywood, V. H., Burges, N. A., Moore, D. M., Valentine, D. H., Walters, S. M. & Webb, D. A., 1976, Flora Europaea. Volume 4. Plantaginaceae to Compositae (and Rubiaceae), Cambridge University Press : 224

12. C. acanthoides L. , Sp. Pl. 821 (1753)

(inch C. fortior Klokov ).

Biennial up to 150 cm. Stem sparsely arachnoid-hairy; wings up to 8 mm wide, palmate to broadly triangular, with an apical spine up to 5 mm. Leaves oblong to oblong-lanceolate, glabrescent above, glabrous except for sinuate multicellular hairs on the veins beneath, with 6-8 pairs of palmate lobes, the lobules with apical spines up to 5 mm. Capitula 20-25 x 25-35 mm, subglobose, sessile and solitary or in small clusters; outer and middle involucral bracts imbricate or patent to slightly deflexed, up to 2 mm wide, linear-lanceolate, long-acuminate; inner middle bracts obtuse, contracted into the spine, with mid-vein raised throughout its length, arachnoid-ciliate, minutely verruculose on the back; inner bracts longer than middle, 1-veined in the distal |. Corolla 16-18 mm. Achenes 3-4 mm, compressed, minutely rugulose-punctulate; apical prominence small, sessile, sinuatelobed; pappus 11-13 mm. 2« =16, 20, 22. Much of Europe, but absent from most of the south-west, and only as an introduction in most of the north. Al Au *Be Br Bu Cz Da Ga Ge Gr Hb Ho Hu It Ju Po Rm Rs (C, W, K, E) Su Tu [He No Rs (B)].