Practical
Plants

Carlina vulgaris

Carline Thistle

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

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Carlina
Life cycle
biennial
Height
0.45 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Bees, Lepidoptera, Self
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees, Lepidoptera, Self

Uses

Edible uses

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

Flowering head - cooked. Used as a globe artichoke substitute[8][2][6][7], though they are considerably smaller and even more fiddly[K].

Plant part
Flowers

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 roots and leaves are diaphoretic and purgative[10].

Product or use
Diaphoretic
Product or use
Purgative

Material uses

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

The flower heads expand in dry weather and close in moist weather. The dried flowers will continue to do this for a long time and they thus form a basic hygrometer for use in weather forecasting[10].

Product or use
Weather forecasting

Environment

Range
Europe, including Britain, north to 60° N., east to Siberia, Caucasus and W. Asia.
Habitat
Poor soils[9] on dry banks and pastures[10], especially on chalk[3][5].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 6+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline, very alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

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

Seed - surface sow in a cold frame in the spring. The seed usually germinates in 4 - 8 weeks at 15°c[4]. 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.

Cultivation

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

Succeeds in a sunny position in ordinary garden soil[1]. Prefers an alkaline soil[4]. Prefers a poor soil[10][9]. Plants are hardy to about -15°c[9]. The presence of this species in a meadow usually indicates a poor sandy soil[10]. This species resents root disturbance, it should be planted into its final position as soon as possible[4].

References

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

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩

  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

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

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

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