Image of Carduus personata (L.) Jacq.

Description:

Slo.: okrinkani bodak - Habitat: Mountain stream bank, young alluvium, light riverine mixed forest and thickets, almost flat and often flooded terrain; humid and half-shady place; calcareous and flysh bedrock intermixed, exposed to direct rain; average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 8-10 deg C, elevation 580 m (1.900 feet), alpine phytogeographical region. - Substratum: nutrients rich and moist soil. - Comment: Carduus personata is one of the fourteen species and subspecies of the genus Carduus growing in Slovenia. If we add to them sixteen more or less similarly looking species of genus Cirsium, we have to deal with a quite large group of plants when we want to determine a plant of this group. But, in spite of similar appearance they have much diverse habitus and sufficient conspicuous differences for a relatively easy determination. The only problems for a beginner pose hybrids, which are quite frequent in both genera. To distinguish between Cardus and Cirsium we only need a good hand lens and have to look at pappus of individual flowers. If the bristles are simple we have Carduus in our hands, if it is hairy we have Cirsium. - Carduus personata is a tall (as most species of these two genera) plant with entire, soft, lanceolate leaves except at the bottom of the stem, where they are deeply parted or even partly pinnatisect. The plant has to some extent spiny stem and leaf edges, but spines are soft and do not prick. Usually several flower heads are grouped together and sit at the end of sparsely branched stem. The plant prefers moist, densely overgrown stream and river banks. - Carduus personata is quite an uncommon plant in the Julian Alps. However, it is widespread over all the Alps and other European mountains including those on Balkan Peninsula. - Ref.: (1) Id'ed by Dr. Igor Dakskobler, Jovan Hadi Institute of Biology, Slovenian Academy of Art and Science, Tolmin. (2) K. Lauber and G. Wagner, Flora Helvetica, 5. Auflage, Haupt (2012), p 1140. (3) M.A. Fischer, W. Adler, K. Oswald, Exkursionsflora fr sterreich, Liechtenstein und Sdtirol, LO Landesmuseen, Linz, Austria (2005), p 928. (4) A. Martini et all., Mala Flora Slovenije (Flora of Slovenia - Key) (in Slovenian), Tehnina Zaloba Slovenije (2007) (in Slovenian), p 677. (5) E.J. Jger, Rothmaler 3, Exkursionsflora von Deutschland, 11. Aufl., Elsevier, Spectrum (2007), p 548.