Carduus nyassanus (S.Moore) R.E.Fr.

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Photo: Bart Wursten
Near Dam 2, Nyika National Park

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Synonyms:	Carduus leptacanthus Fresen. var. nyassanus S. Moore
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Description:	Erect spiny perennial herb, up to c. 1.5 m tall. Stems simple, or sparingly branched above, coarsely ribbed, more or less pubescent, longitudinally winged; wing-segments up to c. 1.5 cm. wide and strongly spiny on the margins. Leaves crowded below, fewer and smaller above; basal leaves narrowly oblanceolate in outline, 10–35 cm long, pinnately divided, often pubescent especially on the midribs; leaf-segments up to c. 3.5 cm long near leaf apex, decreasing in size towards the leaf base; margins coarsely dentate with the teeth strongly spine-tipped. Capitula many, in dense terminal clusters 3.5–7 cm in diameter; involucre bracts numerous, 10-20 mm long, narrowly lanceolate, straw-coloured or purple-tinged, tapering to long apical spines. Corollas white, reddish-tinged or mauve, 10–13 mm long. Achenes straw-coloured or pale-brown, 4–4.5 mm long, somewhat 3–4-ribbed, hairless; pappus with numerous setae 11–12 mm long, flattened, barbellate, united at the base in a deciduous ring.
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Derivation of specific name:	nyassanus: of Nyassa, referring to Malawi, formerly Nyassaland, where the type was collected.
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Worldwide distribution:	Nigeria, Cameroon, DRC, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia.
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Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Literature:	Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 87. (Includes a picture). Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 29. Pope, G.V. (1992). Compositae Flora Zambesiaca 6(1) Pages 50 - 51. (Includes a picture).

Other sources of information about Carduus nyassanus:

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Flora of Malawi: Carduus nyassanus
Flora of Zambia: Carduus nyassanus

External websites:

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