Citation: L., Sp. Pl. 97 (1753).

Derivation: Greco-Latin name for a species in the genus.

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: None

Description:
Stout biennial herbs with prickles along the stems and the undersurface of the leaves; leaves sessile to more or less fused around the stem, exstipulate.

Inflorescence a conical head subtended by several whorls of strap-like involucral bracts and individual flowers each in the axil of a stiff bract about as long as the flowers and tapering into a blunt recurved point; involucel quadrangular with vertical ridges forming a tube closely fitting around the ovary and without a corona; calyx cup-shaped, hairy; corolla funnel-shaped, with 4 subequal lobes; stamens 4, alternating with the corolla lobes; anthers versatile, exserted; ovary inferior, 1-celled, with 1 pendulous ovule.

Fruit ellipsoid, surrounded by the tightly fitting quadrangular involucel and at first crowned by a calyx but wearing off soon.

Distribution:  15 species in Eurasia and into tropical Africa.

Biology: No text

Author: Not yet available