Practical
Plants

Carthamnus lanatus

Distaff Thistle

an annual member of the Carthamnus genus in the family Compositae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
annual
Height
0.6 m
Fertility
Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Edible uses

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

An edible oil is obtained from the seed[2][5].

Product or use
Oil

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 plant is anthelmintic, diaphoretic and febrifuge[6].

Product or use
Anthelmintic
Product or use
Diaphoretic
Product or use
Febrifuge

Material uses

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

An oil is obtained from the seed[6], though the report gives no more details[K].

Product or use
Oil

Environment

Range
S. Europe. A casual in Britain[4].
Habitat
Amongst rocks, in dry hills and uncultivated ground[9].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

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

Seed - sow spring in gentle heat in a greenhouse. Germination usually takes place within 2 - 4 weeks at 15°c[3]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer. The seed can also be sown in situ in April/May[3] but plants may not then mature their seed.

Cultivation

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

Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[1]. Requires a position in full sun[3]. This species is a potentially serious pest plant in N. America[7].

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

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

  6. 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

  7. Diggs, Jnr. G.M.; Lipscomb. B. L. & O'Kennon. R. J Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas Botanical Research Institute, Texas. 1999-00-00 http://artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/bio/gdiggs/NCTXpdf.htm

    ↩

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

  9. Polunin. O. and Huxley. A. Flowers of the Mediterranean. Hogarth Press 1987-00-00 ISBN 0-7012-0784-1

    ↩

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