Notobasis syriaca

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Asterids
Cladus: Campanulids
Ordo: Asterales

Familia: Asteraceae
Subfamilia: Carduoideae
Tribus: Cardueae
Subtribus: Carduinae
Genus: Notobasis
Species: Notobasis syriaca
Name

Notobasis syriaca (L.) Cass. in Cuvier, Dict. Sci. Nat. 35: 171 (1825).
Synonyms

Basionym
Carduus syriacus L., Sp. Pl. 2: 823 (1753).
Homotypic
Cirsium syriacum (L.) Gaertn., Fruct. Sem. Pl. 2: 384 (1791).
Cnicus syriacus (L.) Roth, Ann. Bot. (Usteri) 8: 10 (1794).
Heterotypic
Cirsium bracteatum Link, Linnaea 9. 580 (1835).
Cirsium maculatum Moench, Methodus: 557 (1794).
Cnicus obvallatus Salzm. ex DC., Prodr. 6: 660 (1838).

Notes

Mariana maculata Samp., Herb. Port.: 139 (1913).

Given in PWO as synonym of Notobasis syriaca, but according to the synonymy given in the protologue apparently a synonym of Silybum marianum.
Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Continental: Europe
Regional: Southwestern Europe
Baleares, Corse, France, Portugal, Sardegna, Spain.
Regional: Southeastern Europe
Albania, Greece, Italy, Kriti, Sicilia, Yugoslavia.
Continental: Africa
Regional: Northern Africa
Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia.
Regional: Macaronesia
Canary Islands, Madeira.
Regional: Northeast Tropical Africa
Ethiopia (introduced).
Continental: Asia-Temperate
Regional: Caucasus
Transcaucasus.
Regional: Western Asia
Cyprus, East Aegean Islands, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon-Syria, Palestine, Sinai, Turkey.
Continental: Australasia
Regional: Australia
Victoria (introduced).

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References

Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Notobasis syriaca in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 Dec 15. Reference page.
Hassler, M. 2020. Notobasis syriaca. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2020. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 Dec 15. Reference page.
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Notobasis syriaca in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 07-Oct-06.
Euro+Med 2006 onwards: Notobasis syriaca in Euro+Med PlantBase – the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2016 12 25.

Vernacular names
suomi: Sakaraohdake

Notobasis syriaca, the Syrian thistle,[2] is a species in the thistle tribe within the Asteraceae. It is native to the Mediterranean region and the Middle East, from Madeira, the Canary Islands, Morocco and Portugal east to Egypt, Iran and Azerbaijan.

It is an annual plant belonging to the semi-desert flora, growing to 30–100 cm tall. The leaves are spirally arranged on the stems, deeply lobed, grey-green with white veins, and sharp spines on the margins and apex. The flowers are purple, produced in a dense flowerhead (capitulum) 2 cm diameter, surrounded by several spiny basal bracts.[3]

In the Greek island of Crete, where it is called agavanos (αγκάβανος), its tender shoots are peeled and eaten raw by the local people.

It is naturalised in Australia.
References

Flann, C (ed) 2009+ Global Compositae Checklist
BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.

Altervista Flora Italiana, genere Notobasis includes photos and distribution maps

Flora Europaea: Notobasis