Cirsium acaule

Stemless thistle ( Cirsium acaule )

The Stemless thistle ( Cirsium acaule ) is a flowering plant in the sunflower family ( Asteraceae). It occurs in large parts of Central Europe spread.

Description

The Stemless thistle grows as a perennial, herbaceous plant, and only reaches stature heights between 5 and 10 cm. If a very short stalk is present, it can also be up to 25 cm high.

The rosettes heaping and stiff leaves are bald on top, short hair scattered on the bottom. They are oblong- lanceolate shape of lobed and sinuate to pinnatifid. The leaf lobes are more or less angular, columns and thorns.

The usually solitary, rarely, up to fourth- growing bloom conditions sit directly " to the root" or on the ground rosette of leaves. The involucre is ovoid and glabrous, the bracts are brownish purple. The crown is purple, rarely white.

The Stemless thistle blooms mainly in the months of July to September.

Distribution and habitat requirements

The Stemless thistle comes from England and Scandinavia prior to southern Europe. To the east extends their range up to West Asia.

In Germany this type is quite common in the middle and the south. Larger gaps there are south of the Danube and North West Germany.

In Austria C. acaule is rather rare to find, while it is area as very common in Switzerland.

The Stemless thistle grows in semi-arid grassland, lean pastures and meadows, on slopes and along roadsides. She prefers more or less dry, warm, lime-rich, lean and often stony clay soils.