Carthamus glaucus M.Bieb. / Infraspecifics: Carthamus glaucus ssp. glaucus // Heterotypic Synonyms: Carthamus glaucus var. alexandrinus (Boiss. & Heldr.) Boiss., it is an annual herb, up to 60 cm tall, grey-mealy and crisp-woolly, very leafy stems with brownish to purplish spots. Basal leaves up to 6 pairs of lobes. Cauline leaves broadly to narrowly lanceolate, sinuate to pinnatifid, spinose-dentate, glandular, pubescent to arachnoid, somewhat recurved. Capitula 13-15 mm in diam., (exclude. spines), ovoid, usually in corymbs. Supplementary involueral bracts 25-38 mm long, up to 1/2 times as long as the involucral bracts, more or less erect, densely greenish-villous. Involucral bracts oblong-lanceolate, entire, gradually acuminate, not appendaged. Flowers (purplish pink in the type variety) white to faintly purple flushed with central florets blackish. Cypsela 3.5-4 mm; pappus of linear, acuminate, ciliate scales, 2-2 1/2 times as long as the cypsela body.
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