''Echinops'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of about 130

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Asteraceae Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...

, commonly known as globe

thistle Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterized by leaves with sharp spikes on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles can also occur all over the planton the stem and on the flat parts of the leaves. T ...

s. They have spiny foliage and produce blue or white spherical flower heads. They are distributed from central Asia, Mongolia and north-eastern China to the Mediterranean basin, temperate regions of Eurasia, reaching to Indian subcontinent and tropical Africa. Globe thistle is the host plant of

weevils Weevils are beetles belonging to the Taxonomic rank, superfamily Curculionoidea, known for their elongated snouts. They are usually small – less than in length – and Herbivore, herbivorous. Approximately 97,000 species of weevils are known. ...

'' Larinus vulpes'' and ''

Larinus onopordi ''Larinus onopordi'', also known as the globe thistle capitulum weevil, is a species of true weevil in the genus ''Larinus''. Range This species is found in regions surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. Ecology ''Larinus onopordi'' is univoltine ...

.''

Characteristics

Source:

Vegetative charactreistic

The globe thistle species are perennial

herbaceous plants Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent wood, woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennial plant, perennials, and nearly all Annual plant, annuals and Biennial plant, biennials. Definition ...

. They form

rhizomes In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

as perennial organs. The independently upright stems are angular. The alternately arranged leaves are one to two-pinnately divided and white, woolly and tomentose on the underside.

Generative features

The capitulas are single-flowered, have a hermaphrodite tubular flower and are surrounded by a multi-rowed sheath. Numerous capitulas form spherical

inflorescences In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a main axis ( pe ...

of the second order, which have a diameter of 4 to 8 centimeters. The capitulas bloom from top to bottom within a head. The corolla is tubular, divided almost to the base. The flower color is steel blue to white, the inflorescences as a whole are usually bluish. The

stamens The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filamen ...

are blue-gray. The

achenes An achene (; ), also sometimes called akene and occasionally achenium or achenocarp, is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate (formed from one carpel) and indehiscent (they do not open ...

are cylindrical, pentagonal and hairy. The pappus has short scales.

Traditional uses

Many species belonging to the genus ''Echinops'' are traditionally used as medicinals mainly in Africa and Asia. The genus is reported to contain diverse secondary

metabolites In biochemistry, a metabolite is an intermediate or end product of metabolism. The term is usually used for small molecules. Metabolites have various functions, including fuel, structure, signaling, stimulatory and inhibitory effects on enzymes, c ...

. More than 151 secondary metabolites have been reported in this genus which thiophenic compounds held the biggest share. Various extracts, essential oils, and isolated compounds from members of this genus are shown to exhibit different biological effects mainly

anti-microbial An antimicrobial is an agent that kills microorganisms (microbicide) or stops their growth (bacteriostatic agent). Antimicrobial medicines can be grouped according to the microorganisms they are used to treat. For example, antibiotics are used aga ...

, anti-proliferative, and

anti-inflammatory Anti-inflammatory is the property of a substance or treatment that reduces inflammation, fever or swelling. Anti-inflammatory drugs, also called anti-inflammatories, make up about half of analgesics. These drugs reduce pain by inhibiting mechan ...

. However, there are a number of species in this genus that are claimed to have traditional medicinal uses but their biological effect not yet been evaluated. The common traditional uses can fall into three general groups. The frequently described application is to treat

symptoms Signs and symptoms are diagnostic indications of an illness, injury, or condition. Signs are objective and externally observable; symptoms are a person's reported subjective experiences. A sign for example may be a higher or lower temperature ...

inflammation Inflammation (from ) is part of the biological response of body tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. The five cardinal signs are heat, pain, redness, swelling, and loss of function (Latin ''calor'', '' ...

, pain, and

fever Fever or pyrexia in humans is a symptom of an anti-infection defense mechanism that appears with Human body temperature, body temperature exceeding the normal range caused by an increase in the body's temperature Human body temperature#Fever, s ...

. The other common traditional uses is to treat ailments related to

respiratory tract The respiratory tract is the subdivision of the respiratory system involved with the process of conducting air to the alveoli for the purposes of gas exchange in mammals. The respiratory tract is lined with respiratory epithelium as respirato ...

including cough and sore throat. Members of the genus have been used as an

aphrodisiac An aphrodisiac is a substance that increases libido, sexual desire, sexual attraction, sexual pleasure, or sexual behavior. These substances range from a variety of plants, spices, and foods to synthetic chemicals. Natural aphrodisiacs, such as ...

, facilitation of expulsion of retained

placenta The placenta (: placentas or placentae) is a temporary embryonic and later fetal organ that begins developing from the blastocyst shortly after implantation. It plays critical roles in facilitating nutrient, gas, and waste exchange between ...

and delivery, as an

abortifacient An abortifacient ("that which will cause a miscarriage" from Latin: '' abortus'' "miscarriage" and '' faciens'' "making") is a substance that induces abortion. This is a nonspecific term which may refer to any number of substances or medications, ...

, treatment of

uterus The uterus (from Latin ''uterus'', : uteri or uteruses) or womb () is the hollow organ, organ in the reproductive system of most female mammals, including humans, that accommodates the embryonic development, embryonic and prenatal development, f ...

tumor and leucorrhoea.

Selected species

Species include: * ''

Echinops adenocaulos ''Echinops adenocaulos'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. ...

'' * ''

Echinops amplexicaulis ''Echinops'' is a genus of about 130 species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, commonly known as globe thistles. They have spiny foliage and produce blue or white spherical flower heads. They are distributed from central Asia, Mongo ...

'' * '' Echinops bannaticus'' * ''

Echinops cephalotes ''Echinops'' is a genus of about 130 species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, commonly known as globe thistles. They have spiny foliage and produce blue or white spherical flower heads. They are distributed from central Asia, Mongo ...

'' * '' Echinops ceratophorus'' * '' Echinops chantavicus'' * '' Echinops echinatus'' * ''

Echinops exaltatus ''Echinops exaltatus'', the Russian globe thistle or tall globethistle, is European species of globe thistle in the family Asteraceae. It is native to central and eastern Europe from Germany and Italy east into Russia. The species has escaped ...

'' * '' Echinops giganteus'' * '' Echinops gmelinii'' * '' Echinops graecus'' * '' Echinops humilis'' * '' Echinops kotschyi'' * '' Echinops latifolius'' * '' Echinops longisetus'' * ''

Echinops macrophyllus ''Echinops'' is a genus of about 130 species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, commonly known as globe thistles. They have spiny foliage and produce blue or white spherical flower heads. They are distributed from central Asia, Mongo ...

'' * '' Echinops nivens'' * '' Echinops niveus'' * '' Echinops orientalis'' *''

Echinops persepolitanus ''Echinops'' is a genus of about 130 species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, commonly known as globe thistles. They have spiny foliage and produce blue or white spherical flower heads. They are distributed from central Asia, Mongo ...

'' * '' Echinops ritro'' (syn. ''Echinops ruthenicus'') * '' Echinops sahyadricus'' * '' Echinops setifer'' * '' Echinops sphaerocephalus'' * '' Echinops spinosissimus'' * '' Echinops tournefortii'' * '' Echinops tschimganicus''

Gallery

File:Echinops setifer ja 01.jpg, '' Echinops setifer'' in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

File:Echinops adenocaulos 03.jpg, alt=Echinops adenocaulos in a black background, ''

'' in

north Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

File:Echinops adenocaulos 01.jpg, ''Echinops adenocaulos'' before flowering File:Echinops sphaerocephalus 01.jpg, '' Echinops sphaerocephalus'' in Setif,

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

File:HPIM8079.JPG, ''Echinops ruthenicus'' File:Echinops spinosissimus (KPFC) 04.jpg, ''Echinops spinoissimus'' in

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

File:Ttye7628629.jpg, ''Echinops macrophyllus'' in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

File:Gh747.jpg, ''Echinops macrophyllus'' File:Echinops sphaerocephalus (habitus).jpg, ''Echinops sphaerocephalus'' in Russia

References

Asteraceae genera Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Cynareae-stub