Berkheya purpurea
Berkheya purpurea
10th August 2021
Berkheya purpurea
Berkheya may look more like a daisy than a cardoon, with a succession of mauve-white flowers with the classic ray florets and central disks, but the rosette of spiny leaves shows that the South African perennial is actually a thistle. Asteraceae is a huge family divided into many sub-families, and covers thistles like the cardoon and Cirsium as well as more obvious daisies like Helianthus.