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Echinops ritro - Globe Thistle

Updated: 13 hours ago

Explore Echinops ritro (Globe Thistle) - its characteristics, habitat, cultivation, propagation, and functional uses and benefits.

Echinops ritro - Globe Thistle

Echinops ritro | Botanical Characteristics

Common Names: Globe Thistle, Small Globe Thistle

Family: Asteraceae

Appearance: A clump-forming perennial with spiny, deeply lobed gray-green leaves and striking spherical flower heads of bluish-purple, blooming on erect stems.

Type: Perennial

Evergreen / Deciduous: N/A

Layer: Herb

Root System: Deep taproot system

Height: 0.6–1 meter

Width: 0.3–0.6 meters

Lifespan: Long-lived perennial

Growth Rate: Moderate

Fertility: Self-fertile

Flowers: Hermaphroditic, tubular florets arranged in a globe-like head

Pollinator: Attracts bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects

Toxicity: Not considered toxic

Echinops ritro | Habitat and Cultivation

Range

  • Native Range: Southern and Central Europe, extending to Western Asia

  • Companionship: Often found alongside grasses and Mediterranean herbs like thyme and lavender

  • Invasive Range: Not reported as invasive

  • USDA Hardiness Zone: 3–10

  • Minimum Chill Hours Required: None specified

Resistance/Tolerance

  • Poor Soil: High tolerance

  • Drought: High tolerance

  • Shade: Low tolerance

  • Flood: Low tolerance

  • Wind: Moderate tolerance

  • Maritime: Moderate tolerance

  • Air Pollution: Moderate tolerance

  • Fire: Low tolerance

Thriving Conditions

  • Sun Exposure: Full sun

  • Soil Moisture: Prefers well-drained, moderately dry soils

  • Soil Type: Thrives in sandy, gravelly, or loamy soils

  • Soil PH: Prefers slightly alkaline to neutral (7.0–8.0)

Propagation

  • Seeds: Easily propagated from seeds, which should be sown in the spring

  • Cuttings: Not typically propagated by cuttings

Echinops ritro | Functional Uses and Benefits

Edible: Not commonly used as a food source

Medicinal: Traditional use includes applications for digestive and skin ailments

Cosmetics: Rarely used in cosmetics

Animal Feed: Not used for animal feed

Fiber: Not utilized for fiber

Timber: Not applicable

Firewood: Not applicable

Wind Break: Not suitable as a windbreak

Fence: Not used as a barrier plant

Cover Crop: Not used as a cover crop

Mulch: Not typically used as mulch

Nitrogen Fixer: No

Dynamic Accumulator: No significant data available

Pollinator Attractor: Highly attractive to bees and other pollinators

Pest Repellent: Not commonly noted as a pest repellent

Wildlife Supporter: Provides nectar for insects and seeds for birds

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