''Carlina'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. It is distributed from

Madeira ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg , map_alt=Location of Madeira , map_caption=Location of Madeira , subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...

and 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 ...

across Europe and northern Africa to Siberia and northwestern China.Kovanda, M. (2002)
Observations on ''Carlina biebersteinii''.
''Thaiszia Journal of Botany'' 12(1), 75-82. Plants of the genus are known commonly as carline thistles.''Carlina''.
In: Greuter, W. & E. von Raab-Straube. (Eds.) Compositae. Euro+Med Plantbase.

Description

''Carlina'' species are very similar to true thistles (genus '' Cirsium'') in morphology, and are part of the thistle tribe, Cynareae. Most are biennial herbs, but the genus includes annuals, perennials,

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

s, and dwarf trees, as well. The largest reach about 80 centimeters tall. The stems are upright and branching or unbranched. The whole plant is spiny. The leaves have toothed or lobed blades with spiny edges and sometimes woolly hairs. The

flower heads A pseudanthium (Greek for "false flower"; ) is an inflorescence that resembles a flower. The word is sometimes used for other structures that are neither a true flower nor a true inflorescence. Examples of pseudanthia include flower heads, compos ...

are solitary or borne in inflorescences. The head is hemispherical to bell-shaped and lined with several layers of spiny phyllaries. The outer phyllaries may be very long and leaflike. It contains tubular or funnel-shaped disc florets in shades of yellow or red. The fruit is a hairy cypsela with a plumelike pappus made up of tufts of bristles.''Carlina''.
Flora of North America.

Taxonomy and relationships

''Carlina'' is closely related to the genus '' Atractylis''. Together they are a

sister group In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and t ...

to the genus '' Atractylodes'' in the subtribe Carlininae. ''Carlina'' has been divided into five subgenera: ''Carlina'', ''Carlowizia'', ''Heracantha'', ''Lyrolepis'', and ''Mitina''. Carlina biebersteinii 3

There are about 28 to 34''Carlina''.
The Plant List. species in the genus.

Etymology

The genus name honors the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (1500–1558).

Uses

''Carlina'' species have been used as herbal remedies in European systems of traditional medicine.Đorđević, S., et al. (2012)
Bioactivity assays on ''Carlina acaulis'' and ''C. acanthifolia'' root and herb extracts.
''Digest Journal of Nanomaterials and Biostructures'' 7(3), 1213-22. C. acaulis root is known as ''Carlinae radix'' and is still used medicinally as a diuretic and a treatment for such conditions as skin lesions and rashes, catarrh, and toothache. Most commercial preparations of ''Carlinae radix'' are not ''C. acaulis'', but are in fact adulterated with ''C. acanthifolia'', a related species. The

essential oil An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the o ...

of both species is mostly composed of carlina oxide, an

acetylene Acetylene (systematic name: ethyne) is the chemical compound with the formula and structure . It is a hydrocarbon and the simplest alkyne. This colorless gas is widely used as a fuel and a chemical building block. It is unstable in its pure ...

derivative. The compound has antimicrobial activity.Djordjevic, S., et al. (2005)
Composition of ''Carlina acanthifolia'' root essential oil.
''Chemistry of Natural Compounds'' 41(4), 410-12. The young flowerhead of C. acaulis is also eaten like an artichoke.

References

External links

Flora Europaea: ''Carlina'' species list and distributions
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1136447 Asteraceae genera Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus