Israel flowers: Beautiful Distaff-thistle

Atractylis comosa, Feinbrunia speciosa, Beautiful Distaff-thistle,
חורשף מצויץ

Scientific name:   Atractylis comosa Cass.
Synonym name:   Feinbrunia speciosa (DC.) K.Schmid
Common name:   Beautiful Distaff-thistle
Hebrew name:   חורשף מצויץ
Family:   Compositae / Asteraceae, מורכבים


Life form:   Hemicryptophyte
Spinescence:   Leaves, bracts
Stems:   The stems are covered with rough bristles
Leaves:   Spinescent leaf, rosette, alternate, entire, dentate or serrate
Flowers:   Hermaphrodite, purple, spinescent bracts
Fruits / pods:   Homogeneous seeds-fruits
Flowering Period:   July, August, September, October, November
Habitat:   Batha, Phrygana
Distribution:   Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Montane vegetation of Mt. Hermon
Chorotype:   Mediterranean
Summer shedding:   Ephemeral


Derivation of the botanical name:

Atractylis, Latin atractylis and Greek atraktylis for a thistlelike plant used for making spindles.

comosa, with long hair growing in tufts.
Feinbrunia, named for Naomi Feinbrun-Dothan (1900-1995), an Israeli botanist.
speciosa, speciosus, beautiful, good looking, showy.
The Hebrew name: חורשף, Hurshaf, Aramaic, Arabic: خرشوف, Khurshaf.

  • The standard author abbreviation Cass. is used to indicate Alexandre Henri Gabriel de Cassini (1781 – 1832), a French botanist and naturalist.
  • The standard author abbreviation DC. is used to indicate Augustin Pyramus de Candolle (1778 – 1841), a Swiss botanist.