''Acantholimon'' (prickly thrift) is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of small

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s within the plumbago or leadwort family,

Plumbaginaceae Plumbaginaceae is a family of flowering plants, with a cosmopolitan distribution. The family is sometimes referred to as the leadwort family or the plumbago family. Most species in this family are perennial herbaceous plants, but a few grow as ...

. They are distributed from southeastern

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to central

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

and also in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

, but also cultivated elsewhere in

rock garden A rock garden, also known as a rockery and formerly as a rockwork, is a garden, or more often a part of a garden, with a landscaping framework of rocks, stones, and gravel, with planting appropriate to this setting. Usually these are small A ...

Form

The evergreen

subshrub A subshrub (Latin ''suffrutex'') or dwarf shrub is a short shrub, and is a woody plant. Prostrate shrub is a related term. "Subshrub" is often used interchangeably with "bush".Jackson, Benjamin, Daydon; A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their Der ...

s are generally cushion to mat-forming, with densely tufted shoots bearing mostly awl (long, pointed spike) to needle or grass-like, prickle to spine-tipped hard-textured leaves. They have shortish, simple or branched flower stems which can be loose or dense. The summer-borne flowers are composed of a funnel-shaped calyx, usually with a flared membranous margin, and five spreading petals.

Species

There are over 400 species. Selected species of ''Acantholimon'' include: *'' Acantholimon acerosum'' *''

Acantholimon albertii ''Acantholimon'' (prickly thrift) is a genus of small flowering plants within the plumbago or leadwort family, Plumbaginaceae. They are distributed from southeastern Europe to central Asia and also in South America, but also cultivated elsewhere ...

'' *'' Acantholimon anatolicum'' *'' Acantholimon armenum'' *'' Acantholimon artosense'' *''

Acantholimon avenaceum ''Acantholimon'' (prickly thrift) is a genus of small flowering plants within the plumbago or leadwort family, Plumbaginaceae. They are distributed from southeastern Europe to central Asia and also in South America, but also cultivated elsewhere ...

'' *''

Acantholimon bashkaleicum ''Acantholimon'' (prickly thrift) is a genus of small flowering plants within the plumbago or leadwort family, Plumbaginaceae. They are distributed from southeastern Europe to central Asia and also in South America, but also cultivated elsewhere ...

'' *''

Acantholimon birandii ''Acantholimon'' (prickly thrift) is a genus of small flowering plants within the plumbago or leadwort family, Plumbaginaceae. They are distributed from southeastern Europe to central Asia and also in South America, but also cultivated elsewhere ...

'' *'' Acantholimon calvertii'' *'' Acantholimon capitatum'' *'' Acantholimon davisii'' *'' Acantholimon doganii'' *'' Acantholimon gabrieljaniae'' *'' Acantholimon gillii'' *'' Acantholimon glumaceum'' *'' Acantholimon goeksunicum'' *'' Acantholimon hoshapicum'' *'' Acantholimon ibrahimii'' *'' Acantholimon karamanicum'' *'' Acantholimon koeycegizicum'' *'' Acantholimon kotschyi'' *''

Acantholimon libanoticum ''Acantholimon libanoticum'' (Lebanese prickly thrift, غملول لبناني) is a plant in the family Plumbaginaceae first described by Pierre Edmond Boissier. It is native to Western Asia from Turkey to Syria and Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar ...

'' *'' Acantholimon riyatguelii'' *'' Acantholimon schemachense'' *'' Acantholimon turcicum'' *''

Acantholimon ulicinum ''Acantholimon ulicinum'' (ulicinum: yoo-lih-SEE-num), also known as the prickly thief, is a species of broadleaf evergreen plants in the family Plumbaginaceae. ''Acantholimon ulicinum'' is around tall and has a spread of . The species is endem ...

'' *''

Acantholimon vedicum ''Acantholimon vedicum'', the Vedian prickly thrift, is a species of leadwort that is endemic to central Armenia, and is only found in the Yerevan floristic region, on the limestone massif Erakh between elevations of 900–1,000 m, close t ...

'' *'' Acantholimon venustum'' *'' Acantholimon yildizelicum''

References

Caryophyllales genera Taxa named by Pierre Edmond Boissier {{Caryophyllales-stub