August 23 | Plant of the week Part XI

The Weather Thistles

The weather thistles close their blossoms when it rains and increasing cloudiness, what a fitting name. They protect their seeds that are already ripening.
We know our native Carlina acaulis, also called silver thistle. They grow up in our area, mostly on the roadside and forest edges and tolerate extreme drought. What joy, not only for the insects. By the way, they are under nature protection. The sister of the silver thistle, how could it be different, is the gold thistle. It comes from the mountainous zones of southern Central Europe and also requires hot, dry, limestone locations. Her name is Carlina acanthifolia, which means acanthus-leaved thistle.
In contrast to Carlina acaulis, this is a monocarpic species. It therefore dies after the seeds have ripened. And if you want to keep it, it has to be tightened again and again.