Carduus nutans 飛廉、垂花飛廉

Common name: Musk Thistle
Scientific name: Carduus nutans 飛廉、垂花飛廉
Genus: Carduus 飛廉屬
Family: Asteraceae or Compositae 菊科, aster , daisy, composite or sunflower family

Remarks*: Carduus 飛廉屬 and Cirsium 薊屬 are both called thistles but there are two differences:

(1) look at plants already bearing seeds:
     Pappus hairs 冠毛 (modified calyx) unbranched (simple hairs) -- Carduus;
     Pappus hairs feathery with slender branches from base (feathered hairs) -- Cirsium

(2) Phyllaries 總苞片 (bracts surround the outside of the flowerhead) are spiny, outward-spreading -- Carduus;
     Phyllaries are pressed against the flowerhead. -- Cirsium

Origin: Native. 

Date: 19th July

032 An erect, usually branched thistle, can reach up to 100cm.

047 Stem with white cottony hairs.

045

044 Stem spiny, winged margin ceasing some way (discontinuous) below flowering heads.

042 Spiny leaf.

041

043

048 Underside of the leaf.

046 Flower head, individual florets not yet open.

037 Flowering head spherical. Outer involucral bracts strongly reflexed, lanceolate.

039 Flowering head dropping, usually solitary. 

039_1 Outer involucral bracts contracted abruptly just above base.

040 Underside of the flowering head and the cottony flower stalk.

040_1 Outer involucral bracts contracted abruptly just above base.

035

033 Flowering heads large, 30-60mm across.

034_1 Disk floret showing corolla tube (CT) with 5 petals arranged in a two-lipped position. (1,2,3,4 on the left and 5 on the right hand side). The middle one is the anther tube (A). Style still do not emerge from the anther tube yet and so could not be seen above. 

034_2 Styles (pale pink, on the left of the above photo) are already protruding from the anther tube (white)