Plancia ëd Pallenis spinosa (L.) Cass.

Descrission:

Slo.: bodei trnojek - syn.: Asteriscus spinosus (L.) Sch.Bip. - Habitat: at the edge of an abandoned Karst field, between a stony wall and a village path; open, flat place, full sun; calcareous, stony ground; elevation 30 m (100 feet); average precipitations ~ 1.000 mm/year, average temperature about 14 deg C, Mediterranean phytogeographical region. Substratum: nutrients poor, skeletal soil. Comment: Pallenis spinosus is a common species growing in the whole Mediterranean region with Cyprus as an exception. It belongs to Daisy (Asteraceae/Compositae) family, which is immediately evident from its large daisy-like flower-heads. There are many similar yellow flowering species growing in Mediterranean and hence a lot of opportunities for wrong determinations. Pallenis spinosus has characteristic spine-tipped, long bracts, which are quite similar to the leaves. They form a circle, which has about twice as large diameter than the flower-heads.. The plant is branched and somewhat woody at the base. Individual flower-heads have long stalks. It is interesting that generally side branches overtop the flower-head of the main stem. The species grows on stony, very dry and nutrients poor ground, in garrigue, semiruderal ground, abandoned fields and roadsides. Ref.: (1) I. Schnfelder, P. Schnfelder, Kosmos Atlas Mittelmeer- und Kanarenflora, Kosmos, (2002), p 218. (2) A. Martini et all., Mala Flora Slovenije (Flora of Slovenia - Key) (in Slovenian), Tehnina Zaloba Slovenije (2007), p 652. (3) I. Schnfelder, P. Schnfelder, Was blht am Mittelmeer? Kosmos (2000), p 114. (4) M. Blamey, C. Grey-Wilson, Wild Flowers of the Mediterranean, A & C Black, London (2005), p 439. (5) R. Domac, Flora Hrvatske (Flora of Croatia) (in Croatian), kolska Knjiga, Zagreb (1994), p 347. (6) D. Seidel, Blumen am Mittelmeer, BLV (2002), p 119.