Onopordum tauricum
Willd.Erect biennial to 2 m high; stems winged and ribbed, yellowish-brown, with sparse glandular and multicellular hairs; wings to 15 mm wide, with spines to 5 mm long on lobes. Leaves sessile, oblong-lanceolate in outline, to 25 cm long and 10 cm wide, pinnatifid with 6–8 pairs of remote triangular lobes, ultimate lobes tipped by a yellowish spine, dark green, upper surface sparsely glandular-pubescent, lower surface more densely so. Capitula shortly pedunculate, solitary or clustered at ends of stems, subglobose, 5.5–7 cm diam.; involucral bracts lanceolate, 2–3 cm long, inner ones erect, outer reflexed, tapered into a spinose apical appendage, green or purplish. Florets longer than involucre, purplish-pink. Cypselas 5–6 mm long, 4-ribbed, wrinkled, shiny, brown or grey; pappus 8–10 mm long, cream. Flowers spring and summer.
Wim, VRiv, CVU, GGr. Also naturalised SA. Native to south-eastern Europe. Currently known from 3 infestations near Euroa, Goroke and Natimuk but possibly more widespread and overlooked.
Jeanes, J.A. (1999). Asteraceae. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J., Flora of Victoria Vol. 4, Cornaceae to Asteraceae, pp. 652–666. Inkata Press, Melbourne.
Spinning
