CARTHAMUS BOISSIERI

Family:- COMPOSITAE

Common Names:- None

Synonyms:- Kentrophyllum creticum

Meaning:- Carthamus. From Hebrew for painted one.

Boissieri (L) For Pierre Edmond boissier (1810-85) of Geneva (author

of Flora Orientalis)

General description:- Thistle-like, glandular annual, with long shaggy dense curly

interwoven matted woolly.

Stems:- With brownish to purplish spots.

Leaves:-

1) Basal, usually with more than 10 pairs of lobes.

2) Cauline, broadly to narrowly lanceolate margins sinuate or pinnatifid, spinose-

dentate, greyish.

Flowers:-

1) Capitula, oblong-ovoid.

2) Outer involucral bracts, 4-5 cm, patent, 1½-2 times as long as the inner, with

spines 7-9 mm.

3) Inner bracts, wider than the outer, abruptly acuminate.

4) Corolla pinkish-purple, the lobes 7-7·5 mm.

Fruit:-

1) Achenes, 4-5 mm.

2) Pappus-scales, acute or shortly acuminate, ciliate.

3) Scales 2-2½ times as long as the achene.

Key features:-

1) Plant ± densely glandular, with lanate-villous and arachnoid indumentum.

2) Stems pale brown with brownish to violet spots; densely arachnoid-hairy.

3) Cauline leaves sinuate to pinnatifid, spinose-dentate, not shiny.

4) Pappus-scales acute or acuminate.

5) Outer involucral bracts 4-5 cm, patent, with spines 7-9 mm.

6) Inner bracts abruptly acuminate.

7) Achenes 4-5 mm.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Dry open shrubby vegetation, olive groves, roadsides, field margins and

ruderal habitats. 0-300 m. occasionally higher.

Distribution:- Endemic S. Aegean region otherwise E.Aegean islands. Limited

distribution on Crete. Rare.

Flowering time:- June to early Aug..

Photos by:- Christopher Cheiladakis