Carduus kerneri, Simonkai

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 : 228-229

31. C. kerneri Simonkai , Term. Füz. 10: 181 (1886).

Perennial up to 100 cm. Stem subglabrous; wings up to 7 mm wide. Leaves oblanceolate or oblong, glabrous or glabrescent above, laxly arachnoid-hairy with sinuate multicellular and unicellular hairs beneath, with numerous deeply lobulate lobes. Capitula subglobose or ovoid; peduncle 1 - 5-2 mm in diameter; involucral bracts 1-1-5 mm wide, closely imbricate, linear-subulate, glabrous or almost so; inner bracts as wide as and twice as long as the middle bracts, veinless in the distal -J. Corolla 15-17 mm. Achenes 3-4 mm, compressed, smooth; apical prominence small, sessile, cylindrical, entire; pappus 13-15 mm. Mountain meadows and pastures. S.E. Carpathians’, C. & N.E. parts of Balkan peninsula. Al Bu Gr Ju Rm Rs (W). 1 Wings of stem with apical spines not more than 1 mm; cauline leaves with 8-12 pairs of obtuse or rounded lobes

(a) subsp. lobulatiformis

1 Wings of stem with apical spines 1 -2 mm; cauline leaves with 10-20 pairs of acute lobes

2 Wings of stem triangular or palmate, with an apical spine Г 5-2 mm; cauline leaves with 8-14 pairs of semi-hastate lobes; capitula 20-40 mm in diameter; peduncles more than 10 cm (b) subsp. kemeri

2 Wings of stem semi-hastate, with an apical spine 1-1-5 mm; cauline leaves with 14-20 pairs of 3-partite lobes; capitula

10-15 mm in diameter; peduncles less than 10 cm

3 Lowerleaveswith22-25pairsof lobes;involucralbracts with mid-vein raised only in the distal |; inner bracts acute

(c) subsp. scardicus

3 Lowerleaveswith18 -22pairsof lobes;involucralbracts with mid-vein raised throughout its length; inner bracts subulate (d) subsp. austro-orientalis