Carduus tenuiflorus Curtis subsp. tenuiflorus

Spice Image 2 In the field Inflorescence

Family: COMPOSITAE (ASTERACEAE)

Genus: Carduus

Catalan common name: Card.

Spanish common name: Cardo.

Province distribution: Alacant. Balearic Islands. Barcelona. Castelló. Girona. Lleida. Tarragona. València.

Distribution in the islands: Mallorca. Menorca. Ibiza. Formentera. Cabrera.

General distribution (Phytogeography): Some regions

IUCN Category: LCLeast concern

Flowering time: JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Life-forms: Hemicryptophyte. Terophyte.

Habitats: Cultivated fields, path and road sides, disturbed zones. Cultivated fields, path and road sides, disturbed zones.

Characteristics: A herbaceous species that has spiny emergences all over the stems, leaves and capitula. Stems are winged which run from top to bottom and are spiny as well. Leaves are profoundly lobed. The capitula are formed atop of the stems, with a fairly short peduncle, and later form glomerules of capitulia. This species is very similar to Carduus pycnocephalus, but the latter can be told apart as the capitula are found upon a fairly large peduncle and are not aranged in glomerules. It is difficult, however to tell Carduus tenuiflorum from Carduus bourgeanus, in the Pitiusses, this species has smaller capitula, but best to use a classification key to safely seperate them, Flowes during the spring.