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carlina acaulis - L.                
                 
Common Name Stemless Carline Thistle
Family Asteraceae or Compositae
Synonyms
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Poor soils in dry sandy pastures and on rocky slopes[7, 21, 100], especially on limestone[9].
Range Europe.
Edibility Rating  
Medicinal Rating  
Care
Fully Hardy Well drained soil Moist Soil Full sun

Summary       

Physical Characteristics       
 icon of manicon of flower
carlina acaulis is a BIENNIAL/PERENNIAL growing to 0.2 m (0ft 8in) by 0.3 m (1ft).
It is hardy to zone 4. It is in flower in June, and the seeds ripen from Jul to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, lepidoptera, self.The plant is self-fertile.


Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soils.
It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.
carlina acaulis Stemless Carline Thistle


http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carlina_acaulis_Sturm17.jpg
carlina acaulis Stemless Carline Thistle
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:BerndH
   
Habitats       
 Cultivated Beds;
Edible Uses                                         
Edible Parts: Flowers;  Root;  Stem.
Edible Uses:

Flowering head - cooked. Used as a globe artichoke substitute[177, 183], though they are considerably smaller and even more fiddly[K]. The fleshy centre of the plant is edible[7, 105]. Does this refer to the peeled stem?[K]. Root[13]. No more details are given.
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.

Antispasmodic;  Carminative;  Diaphoretic;  Digestive;  Diuretic;  Emetic;  Febrifuge;  Purgative.

Stemless carline thistle is seldom used in modern herbalism. The plant was at one time in great demand as an aphrodisiac[7], it is occasionally used nowadays in the treatment of spasms of the digestive tract, gall bladder and liver disorders, dropsy, urine retention etc[9, 268]. The root has also been used in treating a range of skin complaints such as acne and eczema[268]. A decoction of the root can be used externally to cleanse wounds or as an antiseptic gargle[268]. Some caution should be employed since in large doses the root is purgative and emetic[268]. The root is antibiotic, antispasmodic, carminative, diaphoretic, digestive, mildly diuretic, emetic in large doses, febrifuge and purgative in large doses[7, 9, 21, 46]. The root is harvested in the autumn and dried for later use[7].
Other Uses
Weather forecasting.

The dried flowers respond to the amount of humidity in the air and can be used as hygrometers[100]. Flowers on the growing plant close at the approach of rain[268].
Cultivation details                                         
Succeeds in a sunny position in ordinary garden soil[111]. Prefers a neutral to alkaline soil[138, 238]. Prefers a poor soil[200]. Established plants are drought tolerant[190]. Plants are hardy to about -20°c[187]. The stemless carline thistle is a protected plant in the wild because of its rarity[7]. This species resents root disturbance, it should be planted into its final position as soon as possible[138]. Plants are usually short-lived or monocarpic[187]. The plant is popular in dried flower arranging, the dried heads keeping their appearance indefinitely[7].
                                                                                 
Propagation                                         
Seed - surface sow in a cold frame in the spring. The seed usually germinates in 4 - 8 weeks at 15°c[138]. 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.
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Expert comment                                         
 
      
Author                                         
L.
                                                                                 
Botanical References                                         
100200
                                                                                 
Links / References                                         

  [K] Ken Fern Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[7]Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants.
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.
[9]Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants.
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
[13]Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants.
Very interesting reading, giving some details of plant uses and quite a lot of folk-lore.
[21]Lust. J. The Herb Book.
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
[46]Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants.
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
[100]Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide.
An excellent and well illustrated pocket guide for those with very large pockets. Also gives some details on plant uses.
[105]Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
[111]Sanders. T. W. Popular Hardy Perennials.
A fairly wide range of perennial plants that can be grown in Britain and how to grow them.
[138]Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 3.
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation.
[177]Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption.
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
[183]Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
[187]Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2.
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.
[190]Chatto. B. The Dry Garden.
A good list of drought resistant plants with details on how to grow them.
[200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[238]Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses.
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
[268]Stuart. M. (Editor) The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism
Excellent herbal with good concise information on over 400 herbs.

Readers comment                                         
 
Elizabeth H.
Ralf Thu Apr 24 14:14:09 2003
Another web reference with lots of information on edible uses.

Link: Silberdistel

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