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Common Name: Carline Thistle

General Information

Carlina vulgaris is a Biennial up to 0.45 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Europe, including Britain, north to 60° N., east to Siberia, Caucasus and W. Asia.

Habitat

Poor soils[] on dry banks and pastures[], especially on chalk[, ].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Biennial
Height	0.45 m
Pollinators	Bees, Lepidoptera, Self
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Succeeds in a sunny position in ordinary garden soil[]. Prefers an alkaline soil[]. Prefers a poor soil[, ].
Plants are hardy to about -15°c[].
The presence of this species in a meadow usually indicates a poor sandy soil[].
This species resents root disturbance, it should be planted into its final position as soon as possible[].

Edible Uses

Flowering head - cooked. Used as a globe artichoke substitute[, , , ], though they are considerably smaller and even more fiddly[].

Medicinal

The roots and leaves are diaphoretic and purgative[].

Other Uses

The flower heads expand in dry weather and close in moist weather. The dried flowers will continue to do this for a long time and they thus form a basic hygrometer for use in weather forecasting[].

Propagation

Seed - surface sow in a cold frame in the spring. The seed usually germinates in 4 - 8 weeks at 15°c[]. As soon as they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer.