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Onopordum macracanthum - L.

Common Name Cotton thistle
Family Asteraceae
USDA hardiness 6-10
Known Hazards None Known
Habitats Disturbed land, roadsides, arable land and pastures.
Range Algeria, Baleares, Great Britain, Morocco, Portugal, Sardegna, Spain.
Edibility Rating    (2 of 5)
Other Uses    (1 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (0 of 5)
Care (info)
Fully Hardy Well drained soil Moist Soil Full sun
Onopordum macracanthum Cotton thistle


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Onopordum macracanthum Cotton thistle
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Summary


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of flower
Onopordum macracanthum is an evergreen Biennial growing to 1 m (3ft 3in) by 0.4 m (1ft 4in) at a fast rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 7. The flowers are pollinated by Insects.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Homotypic Synonyms: O. illyricum var. macracanthum (Schousb.) Boiss. Heterotypic Synonyms: O. elongatum var. abbreviatum DC. O. macracanthum subsp. broteroanum Rouy. O. macracanthum subsp. eu-macracanthum Arènes. O. macracanthum var. minor Boiss. O. macracanthum var. tomentosum Rouy.

Plant Habitats

Edible Uses

Leaves. We have found some reports that the edible basal leaves are peeled and used as stewed vegetables; however, other reports suggest it is toxic (only the root?) to humans and livestock (sheep, goats). The fragrant root contains a toxic diterpene heteroside, carboxy-atracyloside, which causes pronounced hypoglycemia, elevated uremia, creatinemia and transaminases, while the prothrombin rate falls. Death occurs rapidly as a result of respiratory arrest. During the Middle Ages, the root was used by the Berber-Islamic kingdoms of the Maghreb for political assassinations [2-4] .

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.


None known

References   More on Medicinal Uses

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Other Uses

Onopordum species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species.

Special Uses

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Biennial or short-lived weed. Prefers marly to silty-marly ( rich in carbonate minerals, clays, and silt) soils rich in nitrogen. Flowering period: March-July (Northern Hemisphere). No nitrogen-fixing symbionts.

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:

Fahrenheit:

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The PFAF Bookshop

Plants For A Future have a number of books available in paperback and digital form. Book titles include Edible Plants, Edible Perennials, Edible Trees,Edible Shrubs, Woodland Gardening, and Temperate Food Forest Plants. Our new book is Food Forest Plants For Hotter Conditions (Tropical and Sub-Tropical).

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Plant Propagation

Seed.

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Catalan: bufassa, card d'ase, card del dimoni, cardiga, cardot macracant, Spanish: alcachofa silvestre, arrecate, cardo blanco, cardo borriquero, cardo de alcachofa, cardoncha, pincho barrillero, pincho burrero, toba,

Native Range

Native to: Algeria, Baleares, Morocco, Portugal, Sardegna, Spain.

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

None Known

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status : This species has not yet been assessed for the IUCN Red List.

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
Onopordum acanthiumScotch Thistle, Scotch cottonthistleBiennial1.5 5-9 SLMHSNDM211
Onopordum illyricumCotton Thistle, Illyrian cottonthistleBiennial1.3 6-9  LMHSNM100

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

Expert comment

Author

L.

Botanical References

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here
A special thanks to Ken Fern for some of the information used on this page.

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Subject : Onopordum macracanthum  
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