2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Thistle (Latin Carduus) - genus of thorny herbaceous plants of the family
Astro (lat. Asteraceae), or Compositae (lat. Compositae) … In the wild, plants of the genus are found in Eurasia and the lands of North Africa. Their thorny "independence" is combined with many useful abilities of plants of the genus for humans. This is the unique melliferousness of flowers, the healing abilities of plants and a spectacular appearance that does not leave people indifferent.
What's in your name
The Latin generic name is based on the word that in the ancient world was called thorny plants. As for the Russian name, in it our distant Slavic ancestors reflected their belief in the magical power of plants of the genus, capable of scaring the devil himself away from a human dwelling. Hence the "Thistle", that is, "frightening devils."
Description
Plants of the genus Thistle can be biennials or perennials. Species, whose vegetation cycle lasts two years, in the first year of their life show the world a rosette of thorny leaves lying on the surface of the earth. In the second year, a stem appears from the outlet. The stem quickly gains height, releasing spectacular pinnately-split or lobed leaves, the edge of which is covered with sharp thorns, giving the plant a warlike look and protecting the life of the plant from potential enemies. Plants of the genus are very vigorous, unpretentious and warlike. You cannot approach them with bare hands. However, their prickly appearance does not frighten insects fearlessly crawling between sharp thorns.
The ends of the stems are decorated with single or small groups of inflorescences-baskets, characteristic of plants of the Astrovye family. Here are just petal flowers, like, for example, chamomiles, Thistle does not. The flowers in the basket are only tubular, often purple in color, but pinkish ones also happen. The inflorescences are decorative by a strong and rigid envelope, which consists of two types of leaves: ovoid leaves create the lower layer of the envelope, and the upper layer is formed from lanceolate leaves sticking out in different directions in good weather. In cloudy weather, the leaves are tightly pressed against each other, protecting the flower corolla from bad weather. The pointed end of the upper leaves is rigid and prickly. Thus, the wrapper is multi-row and tiled. The diameter of flower baskets, depending on the type of plant and environmental conditions, varies from one to four centimeters.
Pollination of flowers is carried out by insects, which are not afraid of the warlike appearance of plants. These are butterflies and bumblebees, as well as bees willingly collecting the sweet flower nectar of the Thistle in order to fill the honeycomb with healing honey. The culmination of the growing cycle is the elongated achenes, three to six millimeters long, equipped with a hairy tuft, which helps them expand the habitat of the Thistle.
Varieties
On the Russian territory, there are more than thirty species of plants of the genus Thistle. The most common types are:
* Thistle drooping (lat. Carduus nutans)
* Curly thistle (lat. Carduus crispus)
* Crooked thistle (lat. Carduus uncinatus)
* Acantholist thistle (lat. Carduus acanthoides), or prickly thistle
* Small-headed thistle (lat. Carduus pycnocephalus).
Usage
For gardeners, plants of the genus Thistle are malicious weeds that take away food from cultivated plants. But in the wild, many species are of great interest to humans.
Blooming Thistle is a wonderful honey plant, and therefore its wild thickets are welcomed by beekeepers. The honey made from the flower nectar of the Thistle is aromatic and healing.
The spectacular appearance of the plants is increasingly attracting gardeners who decorate their flower beds with individual specimens of Thistle, handling them with extreme care.
The seeds of plants contain a fatty oil that has healing powers, and therefore is used not only by traditional healers, but also by official medicine.
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Common Thistle
Common thistle is one of the plants of the family called Asteraceae or Compositae, in Latin the name of this plant will sound as follows: Carlina vulgaris L. As for the name of the common thistle family itself, in Latin it will be: Asteraceae Dumort.
Sow Thistle
Sow thistle is one of the plants of the family called Aster, in Latin the name of this plant will sound like this: Sonchus oleraceus L. As for the name of the family of the sow thistle, in Latin it will be like this: Asteraceae Dumort. (Compositae Giseke).
Field Sow Thistle
Field sow thistle is one of the plants of the family called Asteraceae, in Latin the name of this plant will sound as follows: Sonchus arvensis L. As for the name of the sow thistle family itself, in Latin it will be as follows: Asteraceae Dumort.
Thistle-leaved Yarrow
Thistle-leaved Yarrow is one of the plants in the legume family, in Latin the name of this plant will sound like this: Oxytropis myriophilla (Pall.) DC. As for the name of the family of the pungent yarrow, in Latin it will be like this: Fabaceae Lindl.
Milk Thistle
Milk thistle is one of the plants of the family called Asteraceae or Compositae, in Latin the name of this plant will sound like this: Silybum marianum (L). As for the name of the milk thistle family itself, then in Latin it will be as follows:
