Carduus litigiosus, Nocca & Balbis

Tutin, T. G., Heywood, V. H., Burges, N. A., Moore, D. M., Valentine, D. H., Walters, S. M. & Webb, D. A., 1976, Flora Europaea. Volume 4. Plantaginaceae to Compositae (and Rubiaceae), Cambridge University Press : 225

19. C. litigiosus Nocca & Balbis , FI. Ticin. 2: 99 (1821).

Biennial up to 70 cm. Stem densely arachnoid-lanate; wings broadly triangular. Leaves oblanceolate or lanceolate, with wide lobes, densely arachnoid-hairy above, densely arachnoid-lanate beneath, with sinuate multicellular hairs on veins and unicellular sinuate and long hairs above. Capitula 20-30 mm in diameter, subglobose, rounded to slightly umbilicate at base, usually sessile and in clusters of 2-5; involucral bracts imbricate, the outer and middle sometimes slightly erecto-patent or slightly recurved at apex, the inner larger, the outer 1 mm wide, the middle 1 - 5 mm wide at base, lanceolate-subulate, arachnoid-ciliate, with the midvein raised in the distal |; inner bracts 1 -2-1-7 mm wide, acuminate-subulate, 3-veined except in the distal |. Corolla 17-19 mm. Achenes 3-4 mm, flattened, minutely verruculosewrinkled; apical prominence sessile, 5-lobed; pappus 12-16 mm. • S.E. France, N. Italy. Ga It.