SCOLYMUS MACULATUS

Family:- COMPOSITAE

Common Names:- Spotted golden-thistle

Synonyms:- None

Meaning:- Scolymus, the ancient Greek name for the artichoke.

Maculatus (L) Spotted, blotched, bearing spots.

General description:- Annual almost glabrous.

Stems:-

1) 15-90 cm, with continuous, irregularly spinose-dentate wings. Upper branches,

divaricately spreading.

Leaves:-

1) 40-200 x 20-80 mm; thick, rigid with a broad whitemid vein and strongly

thickened white margins.

2) Basal, oblanceolate, soft, pinnatifid, with few spines.

3) Cauline, rigid, oblong-lanceolate to ovate, sinuate-pinnatifid, spiny.

4) Uppermost, regularly pectinate-spiny.

Flowers:-

1) Golden yellow, with only ray-florets, joined together in a capitula from 20-30 mm

diam. attached at the axil of the leaves, along the stems.

2) Involucre, 12-18 x 8-12 mm.

3) Bracts, of involucre ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, acute, narrowed to acute

points. 3 toothed and spiny bracts surrounding involucre itself.

4) Receptacular scales not narrowed at apex.

5) Ligules with blackish hairs on the back.

Fruit:-

1) Achenes 2·5-4 mm, obovate.

2) Pappus absent.

Key features:-

1) Leaves and wings of stem with a strongly thickened white margin.

2) Uppermost leaves regularly pectinate-spiny.

3) Pappus absent.

4) Upper branches, divaricately spreading.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Cultivated and fallow fields, roadsides, sandy wasteground. 0-100 m.

Distribution:- Limited distribution across the Aegean. Widespread but scattered in

the Mediterranean region, eastwards to N Iraq. rare on Crete currently known from

only two locations in the west.

Flowering time:- May- June.

Photos by:- Marinos Gogolos