Golden thistle
Scolymus hispanicus
Family · Asteraceae · Irritating
The yellow thistle of southern road verges, and one of the most gathered wild plants in the whole Peninsula. In Andalusia, picking tagarninas in winter is a family tradition and a restaurant dish.
Roadsides and waste ground · Fields and pasture · Montado · Town and roadside
Also known asSpanish oyster thistle, common golden thistle
How to tell it
Golden yellow heads held against the stem, among spiny leaves that run down the stem as wavy spined wings. The leaf veins are white and clearly marked. White latex when cut.
What it is confused with
Milk thistle
Silybum marianum
Both with pale veins and both with usable ribs. Milk thistle has white blotches over the whole leaf and a purple head; golden thistle has only white veins and a yellow head.
What it is for
The rosette is gathered in winter, before it bolts: the midrib of each leaf is peeled and it is that rib that is eaten, stewed, with eggs or in a casserole. Laborious and spiny, which is why it is a dish for those who know.
Traditionally used as food. This is not permission to eat it.
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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