Dwarf atractylis
Atractylis humilis
Family · Asteraceae · Irritating
The low thistle that flowers in high August and September, close to the ground, with pink heads ringed by a crown of white spiny bracts. In Spain its name links it to the grape harvest, because it flowers when that begins.
Scrubland · Uplands · Fields and pasture
Also known aslow distaff thistle
How to tell it
A low, almost stemless plant with rigid, spine-cut leaves, whitish beneath. A pink or lilac head at the centre of a star of spiny bracts opening like a white collar. Range: mainly a Spanish plant, practically absent from Portugal.
What it is confused with
Field eryngo
Eryngium campestre
Both low and spiny in dry ground. Field eryngo is whitish with greenish oval heads and is an umbellifer; this has a pink head ringed by star bracts and is a composite.
What it is for
No food use
A close relative in North Africa is toxic and has caused serious poisonings, which is good reason not to try any member of this genus.
Where it occurs
Each square is an area with recorded observations of this plant. The lighter background is the set of areas where any of the entries has been observed, and serves as a reference. Note what this is not: it is not where the plant lives, it is where people record it, so trails and towns always look fuller than the mountains. Data from GBIF.
Sources
Community
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