Practical
Plants

Carduus nutans

Musk Thistle

a biennial member of the Carduus genus in the family Compositae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Carduus
Life cycle
biennial
Height
0.9 m
Fertility
Bees, Lepidoptera
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees, Lepidoptera

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Pith of stem - boiled[13]. A pleasant taste[2], it is eaten like asparagus[6]. Said to be delicious[7]. The dried flowers are used as a curdling agent for plant milks etc[13][7].

Product or use
Curdling agent
Plant part
Stem

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The flowers are febrifuge and are used to purify the blood[4][9]. The seeds contain a fixed oil that is rich in linoleic acid[9]. This has proved of benefit in the prevention of atherosclerosis[9].

Product or use
Blood purifier
Product or use
Febrifuge

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The down of the plant is used to make paper[12]. The seed of all species of thistles yields a good oil by expression[12]. This species contains 41 - 44% oil[9].

Product or use
Oil
Product or use
Paper

Environment

Range
Most of Europe, including Britain, north to Norway, south and east to N. Africa, Siberia and W. Asia
Habitat
Pastures, arable fields and waste places on calcareous soils[5].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 7+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow spring in situ.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Succeeds in a sunny position in ordinary garden soil[1][8]. The flowers, and indeed the whole plant, give off a pleasing musk-like perfume[10]. The plant is very attractive to bees, hoverflies and butterflies[3][10], it is a food plant for the caterpillars of many lepidoptera species[11].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

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  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

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  3. Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-600-33545-3

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  4. Singh. Dr. G. and Kachroo. Prof. Dr. P. Forest Flora of Srinagar. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh 1976-00-00

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  5. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

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  6. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

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  7. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2

  8. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

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  9. Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  10. Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994-00-00 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8

    ↩1↩2

  11. Carter D. Butterflies and Moths in Britain and Europe. Pan 1982-00-00 ISBN 0-330-26642-x

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  12. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩1↩2

  13. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩1↩2

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