Common names:
Dwarf thistle, stemless thistle
Family:
Scientific name:
Cirsium acaule
Main flower color:
Range:
South Wales and south/southeast England
Height:
Up to 10 cm
Habitat:
Short grassland on calcareous soils
Flowers:
Flowerheads are usually but not always stalkless, formed singly or in a small cluster (up to three), at the centre of the plant; they have pink-purple disc florets above a cylindrical involucre, lined by several rows of phyllaries, which are lanceolate in shape and fringed by small hairs. Phyllaries are purple at the tip, otherwise green, and the tips stay pressed against the involucre
Leaves:
In a basal rosette; up to 15 cm long; pinnately lobed, with variable-sized spines along the edges, and white hairs on the undersurfaces. Upper surfaces are largely hairless
Season:
June to September
Rarity:
★★★★★
