Carduus aurosicus, Vili.

Tutin, T. G., Heywood, V. H., Burges, N. A., Moore, D. M., Valentine, D. H., Walters, S. M. & Webb, D. A., 1976, Flora Europaea. Volume 4. Plantaginaceae to Compositae (and Rubiaceae), Cambridge University Press : 224

11. C. aurosicus Vili. , Pl. Dauph. 1: 364 (1786).

Perennial up to 40 cm. Stem sparsely arachnoid-hairy; wings up to 4 mm wide with wide palmate or broadly triangular lobes with an apical spine up to 5 mm. Leaves oblong-lanceolate, glabrous or with a few scattered multicellular, sinuate hairs beneath, with 8-10 pairs of patent, distant palmate or triangular lobes, each with an apical spine up to 5 mm. Capitula 25-30 x 25-40 mm, subglobose, sessile, solitary or in clusters of up to 3; outer and middle involucral bracts more or less patent in their distal 2-3 mm wide, lanceolate-subulate, constricted into a longacuminate apex, with mid-vein raised throughout its length, glabrescent, minutely verruculose in the lower |; inner bracts shorter than inner middle, 3-veined in the distal 0.8. Corolla 17-19 mm. Achenes 5-6 mm, swollen, minutely rugulose-punctulate; apical prominence very short, sessile, 5-lobed; pappus 11-17 mm. Calcareous rocks and screes, 1800-2100/n. • S.E. France (near Barcelonette and N. W. of Gap). Ga.