There Carlina acaulis is a plant belonging to the large family of Asteraceaeand is commonly known as white carlina or simply carlina. This typical mountain thistle it spread spontaneously throughout Italy, even if with different botanical subspecies. Walking along the mountain paths during the summer, this herbaceous plant stands out for the beauty of its flowers and powerful prickly thorns. It is a herb that has a long tradition in folk medicine and modern herbal medicine. Medieval legend has it that the name of the genus Carlina both in honor of Charlemagne, who allegedly used the plant to treat his soldiers during a plague.
In this article we study the botanical characteristics of Carlina acaulisits medicinal properties and common herbal uses.
The regional names of the carlina acaulis
As a demonstration of how much the carlina is known around Italy, let’s see the nicest regional names: sciu from guard And cardu argentin in Liguria, cardon And arasche in Piedmont, articioch salvadegh And capù in Lombardy, tyrolean And spin de pra in Veneto, jerbe de ploje in Friuli, bugnagun And scarzun in Emilia, Carlo pinto And earth rose in Tuscany, brawler And Carducci in Umbria, mountain artichoke in Abruzzo, rapaguola in Campania, cardunceddu in Puglia, chews And cacocciola spinusa in Sicily.
Description of Carlina acaulis and subspecies
Carlina acaulis subspecie acaulis
Carlina acaulis subspecie caulescens
The carlina is a perennial herbaceous plant, with the biological form of hemicryptophyte rosulata, that is a perennial plant by means of buds placed at ground level and with leaves arranged in a basal rosette.
The specific name acaulis comes from the Latin and means “without stem”. In fact, this feature is attributable only to the subspecies Carlina acaulis subsp. acaulis, where the stem is very short or absent and the plant usually develops a single flower head very close to the ground. In the other subspecies, Carlina acaulis subsp. caulescens, on the other hand, there is the presence of a stem, leafy and that can reach up to 40 cm in height. On this stem the plant can develop up to 6 flower heads.
Leaves
The leaves of the carlina form a basal rosette between which the stem or, in the acauli forms, the flower head rises. They have an oval-oblong shape, are pinnatifid with variously incised lobes and terminated by very sharp thorns. The surface is hairless on both pages.
Flower head
The carlina flowers are gathered in a flower head arranged between the leaves of the rosette or at the end of the stem. The flower head has several scales on its periphery, the outer ones are short and thorny, the inner ones are long, narrow and white in color. The real flowers are arranged in the central part of the flower head, among numerous finely frayed straws.
The flower head of the white carlina is large and showy, it blooms in summer and the flowers are visited by bees and other pollinating insects.
Seeds
The seeds of the Carlina acaulis they are oblong-shaped achenes covered with small shiny hairs. They are surmounted by an inch-long pappus of pinnate hairs.
Anyone wishing to try growing the carlina in the garden as an ornamental plant you can find the seeds in specialized shops.
Where does Carlina acaulis grow?
The white carlina grows from the submontane to the subalpine region of all the mountainous areas of Italy. For a correct regional distribution, however, it is necessary to distinguish between the two different subspecies.
There Carlina acaulis subsp. acaulis it grows only in the Center and North, in meadows and pastures at higher altitudes.
As for the Carlina acaulis subsp. caulescensthat is the carlina with a more or less high trunk, this grows also in the southern regions and at lower altitudes.
Collection of the carlina acaulis
In herbal practice, the useful part of the Carlina acaulis consists of the root. This is harvested between October and November, when the plant is in vegetative rest. It is dug with the hoe, cut at the collar, eliminating the lateral rootlets and sectioning into pieces of 5 cm in length, which break in two lengthwise. These root pieces should be dried in the sun or near a stove. They keep very well in glass containers.
Properties of the carlina acaulis
The main constituents of the white carlina are: essential oil, tannins, bitter substances. From these active ingredients derive properties: diaphoretic, diuretic, antihelminthic, bittering, digestive.
Indications
The white carlina is not only a plant with a singular and very beautiful flower. It has a long tradition in herbal medicine and is used above all as a diaphoretic, that is, to promote sweating, in cases of fever, cold and flu. Another common use is as a diuretic. In addition to these properties, this herb has bitter-tonic, digestive, carminative ones, therefore useful in cases of lack of appetite and slow and difficult digestion.
If you want to try the root of Carlina aucalis there found in specialized stores. At home you can prepare the decoction with the root (to promote sweating, digestion and diuresis) using 2 g of root in 100 ml of water, to be taken in 2-3 cups a day.
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