Kingdom Plantae Family Asteraceae Scientific name Cynareae Rank Tribe | Order Asterales Subfamily Carduoideae Higher classification Carduoideae | |
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Lower classifications Echinops, Atractylis, Maral root, Notobasis, Rhaponticum repens | ||
The Cynareae are a tribe of flowering plants in the daisy family (Asteraceae). Most of them are commonly known as thistles; four of the best known genera are Carduus, Cynara (containing the widely eaten artichoke), Cirsium, and Onopordum.
They are annual, biennial, or perennial herbs. Many species are thorny on leaves, stems, or involucre, and some have laticifers or resin conduits. Almost 80 genera with 2500 species are assigned to this tribe, native of tempered regions of Europe and Asia (specially of the Mediterranean region and Minor Asia), some of Australia and tropical Africa; only three genera have native species of America.
Taxonomy
Cardueae is a synonym for Cynareae, but the name Cynareae was published almost a decade earlier, so has precedence.
Some authors have divided the plants traditionally held to be in this tribe into three tribes: Cynareae in the narrow sense, Carlineae, and Echinopeae. However, other authors have retained the traditional broader classification.