Carduus personata, (L.) Jacq.

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

17. C. personata (L.) Jacq. , FI. Austr. 4: 25 (1776).

Perennial up to 120 cm. Stem with narrow wings, the teeth with an apical spinule up to 1 -5 mm. Leaves glabrous or sparsely hairy above, with more numerous hairs beneath, dimorphic; basal oblanceolate to lanceolate, lyrate-pinnatipartite, with 4-6 pairs of lobulate lobes; cauline lanceolate, acuminate, distinctly cuneate, more or less irregularly serrate with teeth up to 3 mm, each with an apical spine up to 2 mm. Capitula 15-25 x 15-35 mm, subglobose, mostly sessile and in clusters on a very narrowly ciliatewinged common peduncle up to 8 cm and 1 -5 mm in diameter; involucral bracts imbricate at base but usually free and curling in an S-shape in their distal |, the outer bracts half as long as the middle bracts; middle bracts almost as long as the inner, linearsetaceous, up to 1 -2 mm wide at the base, slightly arachnoid-hairy, with the mid-vein raised in the distal |; inner bracts wider, 3-veined in the distal |. Corolla 14-16 mm. Achenes 3-4 mm, swollen, almost smooth; apical prominence small, sessile, 5- lobed; pappus 8-12 mm. 2n= 18. Streamsides, meadows and woods. • Mountains of Europe, from the Vosges and Carpathians southwards to C. Italy and S. W. Bulgaria.?A1 Au Bu Cz Ga Ge?Gr He It Ju Po Rm Rs (W).