Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn.

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Photo: Mark Hyde
48, Borrowdale Road, Harare

Synonyms:	Carduus marianus L.
Common names:	Milk-thistle (English)
Description:	Annual or biennial herb to 1.2 m tall. Stem erect, unwinged, grooved, slightly cottony, simple or branched above. Leaves oblong, glabrous, with strongly spiny margins, pale, shiny, green with white along the veins above. Stem leaves amplexicaul with spiny-ciliate auricles. Capitula 4-5 × 1-2 cm, solitary, erect or nodding. Phyllaries bearing a stout long yellowish spine. Flowers red-purple. Achenes blackish, transversely wrinkled with a yellow ring near the apex.
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution:	Southern Europe, North Africa, Caucasus and the Middle East; widely naturalised in other parts of the world.
Growth form(s):
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Image last updated:	Tuesday 30 April 2013
Literature:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Silybum marianum
African Plant Database: Silybum marianum
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Silybum marianum
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Silybum marianum
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Silybum marianum
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Silybum marianum
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Silybum marianum
JSTOR Plant Science: Silybum marianum
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Silybum marianum
Plants of the World Online: Silybum marianum
Tropicos: Silybum marianum
Wikipedia: Silybum marianum