Carduus crispus, the curly plumeless thistle[1] or welted thistle,[2] is a biennial herb in the daisy family Asteraceae. It is native to Eurasia and has been naturalized in North America and India.
| Carduus crispus | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Carduus |
| Species: | C. crispus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Carduus crispus | |
Description
editCarduus crispus has upright growth,[3] and individuals can grow up to 3 metres (10 ft) tall, with the typical height being 50–180 centimetres (19+1⁄2–71 in).[4] This species flowers from May and seeds ripen in July.[5] Its main form of seed dispersal is by wind.[6]
The leaves of this plant are simple, alternate and they start at the base of the pant. The leaves cannot be in leaflets, but they can vary between being lobed and unlobed. The blade edges of the leaves can either be toothed, have lobes, or have both.[7] The top of the leaves does not have a lot of hair, while the underside of the leaves has white hair. The size of the leaf blades varies from 10–20 centimetres (4–8 in) in length, and the petioles are winged at the base of the leaves.[8]
Unlike most other members of Asteraceae, this plant does not have any ray-shaped flowers, only disk-shaped flowers, with the head width reaching 15 to 18 millimetres (5⁄8 to 3⁄4 in).[7] The colours of the flowers can range from purple to pink and white. The flowers are hermaphrodite, as they have both male and female parts.[8] The flowers are pollinated by insects such as bees.[8][9]
The type of fruit this species produces is called achenes, and they are yellow or slightly gray and brown in colour.[10] The round-shaped fruit is flattened, and attached to one end are long unbranched hairs[10] that aid wind dispersal.
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Leaves -
Foliage and flowers -
Flower close-up -
Plant with seed heads
Etymology
editThe genus Carduus comes from the Latin language, and it means "a kind of thistle",[11] or "thistlelike plant".[12] The specific epithet, crispus, has a Latin origin meaning "curly" or "wavy".[13]
Distribution
editCarduus crispus is native to Europe and Asia. Some of the countries in Asia include Armenia, China, and Hebei.[14] C. crispus is naturalized in Greenland, parts of the United States and Canada, and India[15][14]
Ecology
editIt needs a lot of sunlight, and therefore is not shade tolerant. The soil must be wet, and have the proper pH for the plant to grow and thrive.[5] This species can also be called a noxious weed in North America, and can be found in areas such as pastures and along the sides of the road.[16]
The species and genus is a favorite food plant of caterpillars of the painted lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui), which derives its specific epithet, cardui, from their preference for Carduus thistles. It is also used by bees for honey production.
Uses
editThis plant has been found to have anti-tumour[17] properties, the active ingredient is Crispine B, an alkaloid that has cytotoxic properties, meaning that Crispine B is toxic enough to prevent cancer cells from replicating.[18]
The roots of C. crispus are said to have anodyne properties[19][20] which are pain-killing properties that lessen the pain an organism is experiencing.
Invasive species
editCarduus crispus is an introduced species in North America, and a noxious weed in several U.S. states, including West Virginia.[21]
References
edit- ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Carduus crispus". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ^ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
- ^ "curly plumeless thistle - Encyclopedia of Life". eol.org. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
- ^ "Carduus crispus Kyläkarhiainen". pfaf.org. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
- ^ a b "Carduus crispus Welted Thistle, Curly plumeless thistle PFAF Plant Database". pfaf.org. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
- ^ "curly plumeless thistle, Carduus crispus Asterales: Asteraceae - EDDMapS". EDDMapS.org. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
- ^ a b "Carduus crispus (curly plumeless-thistle): Go Botany". gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
- ^ a b c "Welted thistle (Carduus crispus)". WeedWise Program. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
- ^ "Carduus crispus Welted Thistle, Curly plumeless thistle PFAF Plant Database". pfaf.org. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
- ^ a b "Curled Thistle, Carduus crispus - Flowers - NatureGate". luontoportti.com. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
- ^ "Carduus". ucjeps.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
- ^ "Carduus in Flora of North America @ efloras.org". www.efloras.org. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
- ^ "Etymology, origin and meaning of crisp by etymonline". www.etymonline.com. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
- ^ a b "Carduus crispus (curly plumeless thistle)". CABI Compendium. 2022. doi:10.1079/cabicompendium.112968. S2CID 253656946.
- ^ "Carduus crispus L." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ "Carduus crispus (curly plumeless-thistle): Go Botany". gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org. Retrieved 2022-12-18.
- ^ Zhang, Qingying; Tu, Guangzhong; Zhao, Yuying; Cheng, Tieming (2002-08-01). "Novel bioactive isoquinoline alkaloids from Carduus crispus". Tetrahedron. 58 (34): 6795–6798. doi:10.1016/S0040-4020(02)00792-5. ISSN 0040-4020.
- ^ Agarwal, Lokesh Kumar; Gopi, Priyanka; Pandya, Prateek; Gupta, Neelima (2022-08-20). "Computational insight to structural aspects of Crispine-DNA binding". Structural Chemistry. 34 (3): 837–848. doi:10.1007/s11224-022-02034-7. ISSN 1040-0400. S2CID 251672731.
- ^ Stuart, G. A.; Smith, F. Porter (1911). Chinese materia medica. Shanghai?: Presbyterian Mission Press?. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.25114. ISBN 978-0-87968-469-3.
- ^ Duke, J.A. (1987). "Medicinal Plants of China. 2 Vols. 705 S., 1300 Strichzeichnungen. Reference Publ., Inc. Algonac. Michigan, 1985. ISBN 0-917266-20-4. Preis: geb. m. Schutzumschlag $94,95". Feddes Repertorium. 98 (7–8): 398. doi:10.1002/fedr.19870980707. ISSN 0014-8962.
- ^ USDA . accessed 4.8.2013
External links
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Media related to Carduus crispus at Wikimedia Commons
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