Practical
Plants

Carlina acanthifolia

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Carlina
Life cycle
perennial
Height
0.6 m
Fertility
self fertile
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees, Lepidoptera, Self

Uses

Edible uses

Flowering head - cooked. Used as a globe artichoke substitute[8][3][6][7], though they are considerably smaller and even more fiddly[K].

Plant part
Flowers

Environment

Range
S. Europe.
Habitat
Stony places, pastures and rocks[2] on poor soils[9] in mountainous areas[10].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 5+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

Seed - surface sow in a cold frame in the spring. The seed usually germinates in 4 - 8 weeks at 15°c[5]. As soon as they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer. Division in spring[4]. Difficult to do successfully because the plant resents root disturbance[5].

Cultivation

Succeeds in a sunny position in ordinary garden soil[4]. Prefers an alkaline soil[5]. Prefers a poor soil[9]. Plants are hardy to about -15°c[9]. A very ornamental plant[1]. This species resents root disturbance, it should be planted into its final position as soon as possible[5].

References

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

    ↩

  2. Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969-00-00 ISBN 0192176218

    ↩

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

    ↩

  4. Sanders. T. W. Popular Hardy Perennials. Collingridge 1926-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  5. Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 3. Thompson and Morgan. 1989-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

  8. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

  10. ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00

    ↩

Edit this page