Carduus
Carduus nutans (Musk Thistle)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Subfamily:	Carduoideae
Tribe:	Cynareae
Genus:	Carduus L.
Species
See text.

Carduus is a genus of about 90 species of thistles in the family Asteraceae, native to Europe, Asia and Africa. Carduus is Latin for a thistle.^[1]

Carduus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Coleophora therinella.

Selected species

• Carduus acanthoides (Plumeless Thistle)
• Carduus benedictus (Blessed Thistle)
• Carduus chamaecephalus African species
• Carduus crispus (Curly Plumeless Thistle)
• Carduus defloratus (Alpine Thistle)
• Carduus keniensis is a giant thistle endemic to Mount Kenya and the Aberdares
• Carduus nutans (Musk Thistle or Nodding Thistle)
• Carduus personata (Great Marsh Thistle)
• Carduus pycnocephalus (Italian Plumeless Thistle)
• Carduus tenuiflorus (Slender Thistle)

Hybrids

• Carduus × orthocephalus

[edit] Chardonnay

Cardonnacum, derived from carduus, is Latin for a place with thistles. This is believed to be the origin for the name of the Burgundy village of Chardonnay, Saône-et-Loire, which in turn is thought to be the home of the famous Chardonnay grape variety.

[edit] References

1. ^ Charlton T. Lewis (1890). "cārduus". An Elementary Latin Dictionary. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0060%3Aentry%3D%232129. 

[edit] External links

• "Carduus (a genus of thistles)". BioImages: The Virtual Field-Guide (UK). http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/T3025.HTM. Retrieved 2007-11-30. 

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