''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on disturbed land, roadsides, arable land and pastures. They are

biennials A biennial plant is a flowering plant that, generally in a temperate climate, takes two years to complete its biological life cycle. Life cycle In its first year, the biennal plant undergoes primary growth, during which its vegetative structures ...

(rarely short-lived perennials) with branched, spinose winged stems, growing 0.5–3 m tall. In the first season they form a basal rosette of gray-green felted

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

and rarely a few flower heads. In the second season they grow rapidly to their final height, flowering extensively, and then die off after seed maturation.Flora of China Vol. 20-21 Page 159, 大翅蓟属 da chi ji shu ''Onopordum'' Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 827. 1753.
/ref> The leaves are dentate or shallowly lobed to compound with several pinnatifid or deeply cut leaflets, and strongly spiny. The terminal flower head is typical for thistles, a semi-spherical to ovoid

capitulum capitulum (plural capitula) may refer to: *the Latin word for chapter ** an index or list of chapters at the head of a gospel manuscript ** a short reading in the Liturgy of the Hours *** derived from which, it is the Latin for the assembly known ...

with purple (seldom white or pink) disc florets. There are no ray florets. The receptacle is glabrous with dentate margins. The tube of the

corolla Corolla may refer to: *Corolla (botany), the petals of a flower, considered as a unit *Toyota Corolla, an automobile model name * Corolla (headgear), an ancient headdress in the form of a circlet or crown * ''Corolla'' (gastropod), a genus of moll ...

is slender, sac-shaped and symmetrical. The

anther The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

s have awl-shaped outgrowths on the top. The capitula have several overlapping rows of leathery basal simple linear-lanceolate spines. These are smooth to slightly pubescent. These plants propagate only by seed. The seed heads mature in mid-summer, releasing their seeds. The fruit is a glabrous

achene An achene (; ), also sometimes called akene and occasionally achenium or achenocarp, is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate (formed from one carpel) and indehiscent (they do not ope ...

, 4–6 mm long and with 4-50 ribs. The pappus consists of many rows of simple, fine to minutely rough hairs, united in a circular base. ''Onopordum'' species are used as food plants by the larvae of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

species including '' Coleophora onopordiella'' (feeds exclusively on ''O. acanthium''). In the Greek island of Crete a native species called agriagginara (αγριαγγινάρα) or koufoti (κουφωτοί) has its heads (flowers) and tender leaves eaten raw by the locals. ; Species * ''

Onopordum acanthium ''Onopordum acanthium'' (cotton thistle, Scotch (or Scottish) thistle, not to be confused with ''Cirsium vulgare'' - spear thistle, which is also known as Scotch or Scottish thistle and is the national flower of Scotland. Spear thistle is nat ...

'' L. - Cotton thistle, Scotch thistle, Scotch common-thistle, heraldic thistle, woolly thistle - widespread across Europe and temperate Asia * '' Onopordum acaulon'' L. - Stemless thistle, horse thistle - France, Spain, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia * '' Onopordum alexandrinum'' Boiss. - Egypt, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Jordan * ''

Onopordum algeriense ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on distur ...

'' (Munby) Pomel - Algeria * ''

Onopordum ambiguum ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on disturb ...

'' Fresen. - Egypt, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Jordan * ''

Onopordum anatolicum ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on distur ...

'' (Boiss.) Eig. - Turkey * ''

Onopordum arenarium ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on disturb ...

'' M.Hossain & M.A.A.Al-Sarraf - Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya * ''

Onopordum armenum ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on disturb ...

'' Grossh. - Caucasus, Iran, Turkey * ''

Onopordum blancheanum ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on disturb ...

'' (Eig) Danin - Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon * ''

Onopordum boissierianum ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on disturb ...

'' Raab-Straube & Greuter - Turkey * ''

Onopordum bracteatum ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on disturb ...

'' Boiss. & Heldr. - Greece, Turkey, Cyprus * ''

Onopordum canum ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on disturb ...

'' Eig - Iran, Jordan, Israel, Turkey * ''

Onopordum carduchorum ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on disturb ...

'' Bornm. & Beauverd - Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Iran * '' Onopordum carduelium'' Bolle - Canary Islands * ''

Onopordum carduiforme ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on disturb ...

'' Boiss. - Egypt, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Jordan * '' Onopordum carmanicum'' (Bornm.) Bornm. - Iran * ''

Onopordum caulescens ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on disturb ...

'' d'Urv. - Greece * ''

Onopordum cinereum ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on distur ...

'' Grossh. - Caucasus, Turkey, Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan * ''

Onopordum corymbosum ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on disturb ...

'' Willk. - France, Spain * ''

Onopordum cynarocephalum ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae The Cardueae are a tribe of flowering plants in the daisy family (Asteraceae) and the subfamily Carduoideae. Most of them are commonly known as thistles; four of the ...

'' Boiss. & Blanche - Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Jordan * '' Onopordum cyrenaicum'' Maire & Weiller - Libya * ''

Onopordum dissectum ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on disturb ...

'' Murb. - Spain, Morocco * ''

Onopordum dyris ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on distur ...

'' Maire - Morocco * '' Onopordum elongatum'' Lam. * ''

Onopordum eriocephalum ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on disturb ...

'' Rouy - France * ''

Onopordum espinae ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on disturb ...

'' Coss. * ''

Onopordum heteracanthum ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on disturb ...

'' C.A.Mey. - Caucasus, Lebanon, Turkey, Syria, Palestine, Iran, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia * '' Onopordum horridum'' Viv. - Italy * '' Onopordum illyricum'' L. - Illyrian thistle, Illyrian cottonthistle - Mediterranean * ''

Onopordum leptolepis ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on distur ...

'' DC. - from Palestine to Altay + Xinjiang * '' Onopordum macracanthum''

Schousb Peter Schousboe (1766–1832) was a Danish botanist. Biography Peder Kofod Anker Schousboe was born in Rønne, Denmark and died in Tangier, Morocco, having served as Danish consul general in Tangier from 1800 onwards. He conducted a botanic ...

. - Spain, Portugal, Italy, Morocco, Algeria * ''

Onopordum macrocanthum ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on disturb ...

'' d'Urv. * '' Onopordum macrocephalum'' Eig - Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Jordan * ''

Onopordum mesatlanticum ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on disturb ...

'' Emb. & Maire - Morocco * ''

Onopordum micropterum ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on disturb ...

'' Pau - Spain, Canary Islands * ''

Onopordum minor ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on disturb ...

'' L. - Iran * ''

Onopordum myriacanthum ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on d ...

'' Boiss. - Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria * ''

Onopordum nervosum ''Onopordum nervosum'', called Moor's cotton thistle or reticulate thistle, is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Onopordum'' native to the Iberian peninsula. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit The ...

'' Boiss. - Moor's cottonthistle - Spain, Portugal * ''

Onopordum parnassicum ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on disturb ...

'' Boiss. & Heldr. - Greece, Turkey * ''

Onopordum platylepis ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on distur ...

'' (Coss. ex Murb.) Murb. - Libya, Tunisia * ''

Onopordum polycephalum ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on disturb ...

'' Boiss. - Turkey * ''

Onopordum prjachinii ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on disturb ...

'' Tamamsch. - Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan * ''

Onopordum seravschanicum ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on distur ...

'' Tamamsch. - Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan * ''

Onopordum sibthorpianum ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on distur ...

'' Boiss. & Heldr. - Greece, Sicily, Malta, Turkey, North Macedonia, Saudi Arabia * ''

Onopordum tauricum ''Onopordum tauricum'', the Taurian thistle or bull cottonthistle, is a species of thistle. It is native to Eurasia and is known in Australia and the western United States as an introduced species. It easily becomes a noxious weed, similar to it ...

'' Willd. - Turkish thistle, Taurian thistle, Taurus cottonthistle, bull cottonthistle - southern + central Europe, Ukraine, Middle East * ''

Onopordum turcicum ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on disturb ...

'' Danin - Turkey * ''

Onopordum wallianum ''Onopordum'', or cottonthistle, is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae. They are native to southern Europe, northern Africa, the Canary Islands, the Caucasus, and southwest and central Asia. They grow on di ...

'' Maire - Morocco ; Natural hybrids * ''Onopordum'' × ''brevicaule'' (''Onopordum acaulon'' × ''Onopordum acanthium'' ) * ''Onopordum'' × ''erectum'' (''Onopordum nervosum'' ssp. ''castellanum'' × ''Onopordum tauricum'' ssp. ''corymbosum'' ) * ''Onopordum'' × ''macronervosum'' (''Onopordum nervosum'' × ''Onopordum macrocanthum'') * ''Onopordum'' × ''onubense'' (''Onopordum dissectum'' × ''Onopordum macrocanthum'') * ''Onopordum'' × ''spinosissimum'' (''Onopordum illyricum'' × ''Onopordum acanthium'')

Invasive problems

Some species of ''Onopordum'' have been introduced as ornamental plants in the temperate regions of

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, where they have become naturalised in the wild. In most of these countries, these thistles are considered noxious weeds, especially in Australia where a biological control program has been set up (using the Rosette Crown

Weevil Weevils are beetles belonging to the Taxonomic rank, superfamily Curculionoidea, known for their elongated snouts. They are usually small, less than in length, and Herbivore, herbivorous. Approximately 97,000 species of weevils are known. They b ...

, ''

Trichosirocalus briesei ''Trichosirocalus'' is a genus of true weevils, native to the Old World, placed alternatively in the subfamily Ceutorhynchinae or in the tribe Ceutorhynchini of the subfamily Baridinae. Partial species list * ''Trichosirocalus horridus'' Panze ...

''). In North America, there are also ''Trichosirocalus'' control programs, but they have proved detrimental to native thistles.

References

* Briese, D.T., Lane, D., Hyde-Wyatt, B.H., Crocker, J., Diver, R.G. (1990). Distribution of thistles of the genus ''Onopordum'' in Australia. Plant Protection Quarterly 5: 23-27. {{Taxonbar, from=Q28104 Asteraceae genera