Image of dwarf thistle

Description:

Slo.: brezstebelni osat - Habitat: Karst dry grassland, almost flat terrain; skeletal, stony, calcareous ground; open, sunny, dry place; exposed to direct rain; average precipitations 1.100 - 1.200 mm/year, average temperature 12-14 deg C, elevation 450 m (1.500 feet), submediterranean phytogeographical region. - Substratum: soil. - Comment: To recognize Cirsium acaule is an easy task. The plant is far the smallest of all genus Cirsium members as well as of similar Carduus species. It has almost no stem. If it has it, it's never taller than 15 cm. It has large, up to 5 cm in diameter, nice purple-red flower heads. The flowers photographed were at the end of their flowering season and hence didn't display any more their full beauty. - Cirsium acaule is widely distributed. It grows also in montane and subalpine elevations of almost all parts of the Alps with exception of northeast Alps and Slovenian Alps. It can be found also in Jura Mountains, Carpathians, Pyrenees and Apennines. In Slovenia one can find it in its south and southwest part, particularly in submediterranean phytogeographical region of the country. Interestingly it was found also in West Julian Alps west of Posoje in UTM square 9547 UTM on the Italian side of its area, but not (yet?) on our side (Ref.: 6 and 7). - Ref.: (1) K.Lauber and G.Wagner, Flora Helvetica, 5. Auflage, Haupt (2012), p 1146. (2) D. Aeschimann, K. Lauber, D.M. Moser, J.P. Theurillat, Flora Alpina, Vol. 2., Haupt (2004), p 588. (3) M.A. Fischer, W. Adler, K. Oswald, Exkursionsflora fr sterreich, Liechtenstein und Sdtirol, LO Landesmuseen, Linz, Austria (2005), p 930. (4) A. Martini et all., Mala Flora Slovenije (Flora of Slovenia - Key) (in Slovenian), Tehnina Zaloba Slovenije (2007) (in Slovene), p 680. (5) E.J. Jger, Rothmaler 3, Exkursionsflora von Deutschland, 11. Aufl., Elsevier, Spectrum (2007), p 549. (6) N. Jogan (ed.), Gradivo za Atlas flore Slovenije (Materials for the Atlas of Flora of Slovenia), CKSF (2001), p 109. (7) L.Poldini, Nuovo Atlante corologico delle piante vascolari nel Friuli Venezia Giulia,University of Trieste (2002), p 140.