Carlina is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae.[ Linnaeus, Carl von. 1753. Species Plantarum 2: 828-829 in Latin][ Tropicos, Carlina L.] It is distributed from Madeira and the Canary Islands across Europe and northern Africa to Siberia and northwestern China.[Kovanda, M. (2002). Observations on Carlina biebersteinii. Thaiszia Journal of Botany 12(1), 75-82.][ Altervista Flora Italiana, genere Carlina includes photos and European distribution maps][ Flora of China Vol. 20-21 Page 39 刺苞菊 ci bao ju Carlina biebersteinii Bernhardi ex Hornemann, Suppl. Hort. Bot. Hafn. 94. 1819. ]
Plants of the genus are known commonly as carline thistles.[ Carlina. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).][ Carlina. In: Greuter, W. & E. von Raab-Straube. (Eds.) Compositae. Euro+Med Plantbase.]
Description
Carlina species are very similar to true thistles (genus
Cirsium) in morphology,
[ and are part of the thistle tribe, Cardueae. Most are biennial herbs, but the genus includes annuals, perennials, , and dwarf , as well. The largest reach about 80 centimeters tall. The stems are upright and branching or unbranched. The whole plant is spiny. The leaves have toothed or lobed blades with spiny edges and sometimes woolly hairs. The pseudanthium are solitary or borne in . The head is hemispherical to bell-shaped and lined with several layers of spiny bract. The outer phyllaries may be very long and leaflike. It contains tubular or funnel-shaped disc florets in shades of yellow or red. The fruit is a hairy cypsela with a plumelike pappus made up of tufts of bristles.][ Carlina. Flora of North America.]
Taxonomy and relationships
Carlina is closely related to the genus Atractylis. Together they are a sister group to the genus Atractylodes in the subtribe Carlininae.[Peng, H. S., et al. (2011). Molecular systematics of genus Atractylodes (Compositae, Cardueae): Evidence from internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and trnL-F sequences. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 13(11), 14623-33.] Carlina has been divided into five subgenera: Carlina, Carlowizia, Heracantha, Lyrolepis, and Mitina.[
There are about 28][ to 34][ Carlina. The Plant List.] species in the genus.
Etymology
The genus name honors the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (1500–1558).
Uses
Carlina species have been used as herbalism in European systems of traditional medicine.[Đorđević, S., et al. (2012). Bioactivity assays on Carlina acaulis and C. acanthifolia root and herb extracts. Digest Journal of Nanomaterials and Biostructures 7(3), 1213-22.] Carlina acaulis root is known as Carlinae radix and is still used medicinally as a diuretic and a treatment for such conditions as skin lesions and rashes, catarrh, and toothache. Most commercial preparations of Carlinae radix are not C. acaulis, but are in fact adulterant with C. acanthifolia, a related species. The essential oil of both species is mostly composed of carlina oxide, an acetylene derivative. The compound has antimicrobial activity.[Djordjevic, S., et al. (2005). Composition of Carlina acanthifolia root essential oil. Chemistry of Natural Compounds 41(4), 410-12.] The young flowerhead of C. acaulis is also eaten like an artichoke.
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