Scolymus

oyster thistle
golden thistle
Scolymus hispanicus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Tribe: Cichorieae[1]
Genus: Scolymus
L.
Synonyms[1]
  • Scolymus subg. Myscolus Cass.
  • Myscolus (Cass.) Cass.

Scolymus (golden thistle or oyster thistle) is a genus of plants in the dandelion tribe within the daisy family, native to the Mediterranean region and western Europe north to northwestern France.[2][3]

Like other related plants also called thistles, they are annual or perennial herbaceous plants with spiny leaves and stems, However, Scolymus is not a true thistle, but rather it is a member of the chicory/dandelion tribe. They grow to 20-90 cm tall, with bright yellow flowerheads.[4][5]

Species[1][6]
  1. Scolymus giganteus
  2. Scolymus grandiflorus – Large-flowered golden thistle - Spain, Balearic Islands, Corsica, Sardinia, France, Italy, Turkey, Lebanon, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Canary Islands
  3. Scolymus hispanicus – Common golden thistle or Spanish oyster thistle - from Britain to Morocco + Iran + Ukraine; naturalized in Australia, USA, Argentina, Chile
  4. Scolymus maculatus – Spotted golden thistle - from Britain to Canary Islands + Iran; naturalized in Australia + North Carolina

References

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