Centaurea benedicta

Centaurea benedicta, known by the common names St. Benedict's thistle, blessed thistle, holy thistle, spotted thistle or blessed knapweed, is an annual thistle-like plant in the family Asteraceae, native to Mediterranean Europe and western and Central Asia, ranging from Portugal and Spain to southeastern Europe, Ukraine and southern European Russia, Saudi Arabia, Xinjiang, and Pakistan. It is known in other parts of the world, including parts of North America, as an introduced species and often a noxious weed.

Description

A medium sized annual thistle. It is softly hairy. The stems are usually only branched at the base. They are reddish-purple. The leaves are alternate and oblong. They are pale green. The veins underneath and prominent and white. The leaves at the base are often in a ring. They are divided into lobes along the stalk. These lower leaves have stalks. The upper leaves are smaller and partly clasp the stem. There are tips at the spine. The flower heads are yellow and pale green. They are 25-40 mm long. They occur singly. The florets are smaller, tube shaped and surrounded by a ruff of small upper leaves.

Edible Uses

The aerial parts are cooked as a stew, the roots can be boiled as a potherb, and the plant is used for flavouring including drinks.

Traditional Uses

It is used for flavouring including drinks. The aerial parts are cooked as a stew. The root can be boiled as a potherb. Caution: It is poisonous in large amounts.

Medicinal Uses

Blessed thistle is used in folk remedies as a galactagogue with other herbs to increase breast milk supply, although there is no scientific evidence that such use is effective. Although the leaves are unpalatable with a bitter taste, blessed thistle is used as a flavoring in alcoholic beverages, and is considered a safe ingredient for food uses. As a member of the ragweed family, blessed thistle may cause allergic reactions in susceptible people, and use of large amounts may cause stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting.

Known Hazards

Poisonous in large amounts.

Distribution

It is a temperate plant. It grows on cultivated and waste land. It will grow on most soils. It is resistant to drought and frost.

Where It Grows

Afghanistan, Africa, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Balkans, Brazil, Britain, Canada, Caucasus, Central Asia, Chile, Czech, Europe*, France, Germany, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Kurdistan, Macedonia, Mediterranean*, Middle East, North Africa, North America, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Spain, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey, Türkiye, Uruguay,

Cultivation

Plants are grown from seed.

Other Information

It was formerly cultivated.

Notes

It is used in medicine. There is only one Cnicus species.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Acı dürlek, Cardo bendito, Cardo santo, Cristo pobre, Diken, Diken otu, Tulu diken

References (18)

• Blamey, M and Grey-Wilson, C., 2005, Wild flowers of the Mediterranean. A & C Black London. p 458 (As Cnicus benedictus)
• Bodkin, F., 1991, Encyclopedia Botanica. Cornstalk publishing, p 268 (As Cnicus benedictus)
• Bremness, L., 1994, Herbs. Collins Eyewitness Handbooks. Harper Collins. p 242 (As Cnicus benedictus)
• Brown, D., 2002, The Royal Horticultural Society encyclopedia of Herbs and their uses. DK Books. p 174 (As Cnicus benedictus)
• Ertug, F, Yenen Bitkiler. Resimli Türkiye Florası -I- Flora of Turkey - Ethnobotany supplement (As Cnicus benedictus)

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