Globe Thistle, Southern globethistle, Small Globe Thistle
Echinops ritro
Family: Asteraceae or Compositae
What it is like
Bloom Color: Blue. Main Bloom Time: Early fall, Late summer, Mid summer. Form: Irregular or sprawling, Upright or erect.
Echinops ritro is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.5 m (1ft 8in) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 3. It is in flower from June to August. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.
Height (m): 0.5
Where it is found
Gravely places on mountain slopes at elevations of 200 - 2400 metres in Tibet.
Central and Eastern Europe to Central Asia.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 0
Medicine
Rating: 1
The root is anti-inflammatory and galactogogue. It is used in the treatment of breast abscesses with inflammation, mastitis, lack of milk in nursing mothers and distension of the breast.
Antiinflammatory: Reduces inflammation of joints, injuries etc.
Galactogogue: Promotes the flow of milk in a nursing mother.
Other
Rating:
How it is grown
Landscape Uses:Border, Container, Erosion control, Ground cover, Massing, Seashore, Specimen. Succeeds in a sunny position in any well drained soil of low or medium fertility. Established plants are drought tolerant. There are a number of named varieties, selected for their ornamental value. The flowers are often used for dried flower displays. If all the flowers are removed early in the season, the plant will often produce a second flush of bloom later in the summer. Special Features: Naturalizing, Attracts butterflies, Suitable for cut flowers, Suitable for dried flowers, Extended bloom season in Zones 9A and above, Attractive flowers or blooms.
Propagating it: Seed - sow early spring in a cold frame. The seed usually germinates in 3 - 9 weeks at 25°c. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer. The seed can also be sown in an outdoor seedbed in mid spring and is then planted out into its permanent position in late summer or the autumn. Division in autumn. Root cuttings in the winter.
Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 3-10
Growth: Fast
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Dry, moist