Canary Islands Flora Garden

Asteraceae

Carlina salicifolia (L. f.) Cav.

Malpica, cabezote, cabezote, cardo de Cristo, cardo del monte, alazor

An evergreen shrub that can reach up to 1.5 m in height. Its leaves are alternate, glossy green on the upper surface and whitish on the underside, lanceolate, and have spiny margins. The yellowish, florets are arranged in heads of leafy involucral bracts, pedunculate, terminal, and grouped in clusters of 3-6. It is a polymorphic and highly variable species, with specimens exhibiting many different forms. It is endemic to Macaronesia.