Carduus is a genus of about 90 species of
thistleThistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles often occur all over the plant - on surfaces such as those of the stem and flat parts of leaves. These are an adaptation that protects the...
s in the family
AsteraceaeThe family Asteraceae or Compositae is the second largest family of flowering plants, in terms of number of species....
, native to
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
,
AsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the earth's total surface area and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population.Asia is traditionally defined as part of the...
and
AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With a billion people in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.8% of the...
.
Carduus is Latin for a thistle.
Carduus species are used as food plants by the
larvaA larva is a young form of animal with indirect development, going through or undergoing metamorphosis ....
e of some
LepidopteraLepidoptera is an order of insects that includes moths and butterflies. It is one of the most speciose orders in the class Insecta, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
species including
Coleophora therinellaColeophora is a very large genus of moths of the family Coleophoridae with around 1000 described species. The genus is represented on all continents but the majority are found in the Nearctic and Palaearctic regions...
.
Selected species
- Carduus acanthoides
Carduus acanthoides is a species of thistle known as the spiny plumeless thistle and welted thistle. This plant is native to Europe but is well-known in many other parts of the world, including parts of North and South America, New Zealand, and Australia, as a noxious weed. This thistle may exceed...
(Plumeless Thistle)
- Carduus benedictus (Blessed Thistle)
- Carduus chamaecephalus African species
- Carduus crispus
Carduus crispus or Welted thistle is a member of the daisy family Asteraceae. It is a favorite foodplant of caterpillars of the Painted Lady , which derives its specific name from their preference for thistles...
(Curly Plumeless Thistle)
- Carduus defloratus (Alpine Thistle)
- Carduus keniensis is a giant thistle endemic to Mount Kenya
Mount Kenya is the highest mountain in Kenya and the second highest in Africa, after Kilimanjaro. The highest peaks of the mountain are Batian , Nelion and Point Lenana...
and the AberdaresThe Aberdare Range is a 160 km long mountain range of upland north of Kenya's capital of Nairobi with an average elevation is 11,000 feet . It is located in west central Kenya, northeast of Naivasha and Gilgil and just south of the Equator...
- Carduus nutans
The Musk thistle or Nodding thistle is a member of the sunflower family Asteraceae. It is a biennial herb with showy red-purple flowers and sharply spiny stems and leaves...
(Musk Thistle or Nodding Thistle)
- Carduus personata (Great Marsh Thistle)
- Carduus pycnocephalus
Carduus pycnocephalus is a species of thistle native to the Mediterranean region of Europe and Asia which has become a noxious weed in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, South America, and North America, especially in California, where it is a C-listed weed by...
(Italian Plumeless Thistle)
- Carduus tenuiflorus
Carduus tenuiflorus is a species of thistle known as the winged thistle or slender-flowered thistle. It is native to Europe and North Africa but is well-known on other continents where it is an introduced species and noxious weed. This thistle may exceed two meters in height. Its tall stem is...
(Slender Thistle)
Hybrids
Cardonnacum, derived from
carduus, is Latin for a place with thistles.
Discussion
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Carduus is a genus of about 90 species of
thistleThistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles often occur all over the plant - on surfaces such as those of the stem and flat parts of leaves. These are an adaptation that protects the...
s in the family
AsteraceaeThe family Asteraceae or Compositae is the second largest family of flowering plants, in terms of number of species....
, native to
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
,
AsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the earth's total surface area and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population.Asia is traditionally defined as part of the...
and
AfricaAfrica is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area. With a billion people in 61 territories, it accounts for about 14.8% of the...
.
Carduus is Latin for a thistle.
Carduus species are used as food plants by the
larvaA larva is a young form of animal with indirect development, going through or undergoing metamorphosis ....
e of some
LepidopteraLepidoptera is an order of insects that includes moths and butterflies. It is one of the most speciose orders in the class Insecta, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
species including
Coleophora therinellaColeophora is a very large genus of moths of the family Coleophoridae with around 1000 described species. The genus is represented on all continents but the majority are found in the Nearctic and Palaearctic regions...
.
Selected species
- Carduus acanthoides
Carduus acanthoides is a species of thistle known as the spiny plumeless thistle and welted thistle. This plant is native to Europe but is well-known in many other parts of the world, including parts of North and South America, New Zealand, and Australia, as a noxious weed. This thistle may exceed...
(Plumeless Thistle)
- Carduus benedictus (Blessed Thistle)
- Carduus chamaecephalus African species
- Carduus crispus
Carduus crispus or Welted thistle is a member of the daisy family Asteraceae. It is a favorite foodplant of caterpillars of the Painted Lady , which derives its specific name from their preference for thistles...
(Curly Plumeless Thistle)
- Carduus defloratus (Alpine Thistle)
- Carduus keniensis is a giant thistle endemic to Mount Kenya
Mount Kenya is the highest mountain in Kenya and the second highest in Africa, after Kilimanjaro. The highest peaks of the mountain are Batian , Nelion and Point Lenana...
and the AberdaresThe Aberdare Range is a 160 km long mountain range of upland north of Kenya's capital of Nairobi with an average elevation is 11,000 feet . It is located in west central Kenya, northeast of Naivasha and Gilgil and just south of the Equator...
- Carduus nutans
The Musk thistle or Nodding thistle is a member of the sunflower family Asteraceae. It is a biennial herb with showy red-purple flowers and sharply spiny stems and leaves...
(Musk Thistle or Nodding Thistle)
- Carduus personata (Great Marsh Thistle)
- Carduus pycnocephalus
Carduus pycnocephalus is a species of thistle native to the Mediterranean region of Europe and Asia which has become a noxious weed in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, South America, and North America, especially in California, where it is a C-listed weed by...
(Italian Plumeless Thistle)
- Carduus tenuiflorus
Carduus tenuiflorus is a species of thistle known as the winged thistle or slender-flowered thistle. It is native to Europe and North Africa but is well-known on other continents where it is an introduced species and noxious weed. This thistle may exceed two meters in height. Its tall stem is...
(Slender Thistle)
Hybrids
Chardonnay
Cardonnacum, derived from
carduus, is Latin for a place with thistles. This is believed to be the origin for the name of the Burgundy village of
Chardonnay, Saône-et-LoireChardonnay is the commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.The name is a derivative of Cardonnacum, a Latin term to denote the land of Cardus, the owner of the land surrounding this village during the end of the Roman period. It is also the definition...
, which in turn is thought to be the home of the famous
ChardonnayChardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is believed to have originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...
grape variety.