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.
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.
Open sheet →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.