Carduus argentatus
It is found in the eastern deserts of Egypt, through the East Mediterranean region and into Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan.[2] It can be found growing in open woodlands and shrublands, on steppes and semi-steppes as well as in extreme desert conditions.[4] The plant was originally described by Carl Linnaeus on page 280 of the Mantissa Plantarum Altera, October 1771.[8] It is related to the medieval Latin word Cardonnacum ("a place of chardons or thistles"), which is the origin of Chardonnay, the name of the grape variety.[3] John Wilkes's Encyclopaedia Londinensis (volume III, 1810) makes note of the "remarkable" features of the plant including the leaves' spots of white (pictured), which it reports are found in three other species of "Egyptian thistle".
Eucera cinnamomeaScientific classificationPlantaeTracheophytesAngiospermsEudicotsAsteridsAsteralesAsteraceaeCarduusBinomial nameSynonymsBertoloniannualdisturbed habitatsshrublandsdesert conditionsMount HermonGolan HeightsCarl LinnaeusMantissa Plantarum AlterachardonsChardonnaygrape varietysilverflower stemtomentosepappusJohn WilkesEncyclopedia of LifeInternational Plant Names IndexRoyal Botanic Gardens, KewHarvard University HerbariaLibrariesAustralian National Botanic GardensWikidataWikispeciesiNaturalistObservation.orgOpen Tree of LifePlant ListTropicos