Onopordum acanthium
speciesAt a glance
Sources15 archives
Databases and archives Onopordum acanthium's data was compiled from.
WikipediaWikimedia Foundation14 languages↗
BioWikiNetmultilingual Wikipediamultilingual↗
GBIFGlobal Biodiversity Information Facility74 855 records↗
ENAEuropean Nucleotide Archive · EMBL-EBI15 eDNA detections↗
BOLD SystemsCentre for Biodiversity Genomics29 specimens↗
NCBIUS National Library of Medicinesequences↗
LOTUSNatural Products (Wikidata)compounds↗
NPASSNat. Product Activity & Species Sourcecompounds↗
GRIN TaxonomyUSDA-ARSdistribution & uses↗
Open Tree of LifeOpenTreephylogeny backbone↗
CCDBChromosome Counts DB · Tel Aviv U.genome & karyotype↗
GoaTGenomes on a Tree · Sangergenome & karyotype↗
PloiDBPloidy Databasegenome & karyotype
Paleobiology DatabasePBDB consortiumfossil record↗
GLoBIGlobal Biotic Interactionsbiotic interactions↗Every layer below draws on the sources above — open one to explore it, or use ← → to move between tabs.
Separate cypselae Onopordum acanthium (cotton thistle, Scotch (or Scottish) thistle, not to be confused with Cirsium vulgare - spear thistle, which is also known as Scotch or Scottish thistle and is the national flower of Scotland. Spear thistle is native to Britain and is common and widespread - Cotton thistle is non-native) is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to Europe and Western Asia from the Iberian Peninsula east to Kazakhstan, and north to central Scandinavia, and widely naturalised elsewhere,Den virtuella floran: Onopordum acanthium (in Swedish, with maps)Europaea: Onopordum acanthium with especially large populations present in the United States and Australia. It is a vigorous biennial plant with coarse, spiny leaves and conspicuous spiny-winged stems.Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. (1976). Flora Europaea vol. 4. Cambridge University Press
No narrative description available for this taxon yet.
Size & morphology24
Life cycle & reproduction15
Diet & foraging2
Habitat & environment14
Physiology & chemistry5
Other traits3
Compounds documented for Onopordum acanthium across natural-product and food-composition databases — not just the ~150 nutrients on a classic label ("nutritional dark matter").
Compound class profile5 classes
Documented compounds211 total
| Compound | Class | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| (+)-12alpha-Hydroxysophocarpine | present | NPASS | |
| (+)-Lupanine | present | NPASS | |
| (+)-Maackiain | present | NPASS | |
| (+)-Medicarpin | present | NPASS | |
| (+)-Sophoranol | present | NPASS | |
| (-)-14beta-Hydroxymatrine | present | NPASS | |
| (-)-9alpha-Hydroxysophocarpine | present | NPASS | |
| (-)-Maackiain | present | NPASS | |
| (-)-maackiain-3-O-glucoside | present | NPASS | |
| (-)-Maackiain-3-O-glucosyl-6''-O-malonate | present | NPASS |
A DNA barcode is a short, standardised stretch of genes that works like a fingerprint — enough to tell one species from another. Below is the molecular trace Onopordum acanthium has left across the world's sequence archives.
At a glance
★ the standard DNA barcode for this group — the short region actually read to tell this species apart. The rest are extra genes sequenced along the way.
The complete instruction manual Onopordum acanthium carries — its genome. We read it from three angles — how big it is, how the DNA is packed into chromosomes, and how completely it has been sequenced — and explain how to read each value as you go.
Genome sizehow big the whole instruction manual is
Measured in base pairs (bp) — the individual letters of DNA (human ≈ 3.2 Gb, a bacterium a few million). The chart places this genome on a logarithmic scale — each step to the right is ten times bigger — among reference organisms. Across species a bigger genome loosely tracks with larger cells, slower growth and lower-energy lifestyles (powered flight favours small genomes) — yet it does not imply more genes or a more advanced organism (the long-standing C-value paradox).
Chromosomes & ploidyhow the DNA is packaged
2n is the full chromosome count in a normal body cell; n is a gamete (egg or sperm), which carries half. Ploidy is how many complete chromosome sets each cell holds — 2× (diploid) is typical for animals, while higher levels (polyploidy) are common in plants. Click any value below to see the underlying records and sources.
2n 3440×GoaT · DTOL Flowering Plants Estimates Kew · GoaT · Kew Plant DNA C-values Database · CCDB · slov-fl +14
n 03×CCDB · CromoCat 2015
diploid1×GoaT · Kew Plant DNA C-values Database
diploid inferred1×PloiDB · genus-scale
How far back this lineage goes — and how we know. Everything here is measured in Ma, short for “mega-annum”: millions of years ago. The chart reads left to right like a calendar of the Earth, from the deep past on the left to today at the right edgetop to bottom like a core drilled through the Earth, from the deep past at the top down to today at the bottom.
At a glance
When this lineage existed
How to read this: the coloured strip along the bottomdown the left is the geological calendar — the standard epochs (Pliocene, Pleistocene…) every museum uses, shown so you can see which chapter of Earth's history this lineage lived in. This lineage is a young one, so the strip is zoomed in to epochs — the finer subdivisions inside a period. The orange marker is the DNA clock: DNA accumulates mutations at a roughly steady rate, so comparing this species' DNA with its relatives estimates when the lineage split off — independently of any fossil.
Record type74 855 records
Origin
Range
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Museum / Voucheredphysical evidence
Backed by a physical specimen — a herbarium sheet, sample or voucher held in a collection. “Vouchered” means supported by material evidence, not just an observation.
Cultivated / Captivenot free-living
A living individual in a botanical garden, zoo or nursery — cultivated or kept, not free-living.
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Holding institutions110 of 194 geolocated
Institutions and collections holding physical, vouchered specimens of this species — click a row to fly to it on the map.
| Institution | Specimens |
|---|---|
| Uniwersytet Wrocławskilocation not on record | 321 |
| LDlocation not on record | 182 |
| Uppsala, SE | 128 |
| Moscow State Universitylocation not on record | 124 |
| Canberra, AU | 104 |
| Mount Annan, AU | 96 |
| Uniwersytet Warszawskilocation not on record | 86 |
| Oskarshamn, SE | 67 |
| Olocation not on record | 65 |
| South Kensington, GB | 63 |
| SLU Artdatabankenlocation not on record | 59 |
| MeiseBGlocation not on record | 54 |
| Canadian Department of Agriculturelocation not on record | 47 |
| Denver, US | 46 |
| Christchurch, NZ | 46 |
| BFLlocation not on record | 45 |
| València, ES | 36 |
| Bronx, US | 34 |
| BDBClocation not on record | 33 |
| GJOlocation not on record | 31 |
| Flagstaff, US | 24 |
| Philadelphia, US | 23 |
| Görlitz, DE | 23 |
| Provincia di Livornolocation not on record | 23 |
| Badajoz, ES | 23 |
| Zürich, CH | 22 |
| Bern, CH | 19 |
| DOI/NPS, Colonial National Historical Parklocation not on record | 18 |
| Museo Entomologico de Leonlocation not on record | 18 |
| Vitoria, ES | 18 |
| Hobart, AU | 18 |
| GBS RAN - Glavny Botanichesky Sad Rossijskoj Akademii Nauklocation not on record | 18 |
| Chadron, US | 18 |
| Wlocation not on record | 16 |
| WTUlocation not on record | 16 |
| Entomological Society of Latvialocation not on record | 15 |
| Barcelona, ES | 14 |
| Burlington, US | 14 |
| Chongqing Museumlocation not on record | 14 |
| Beijing, CN | 14 |
| Bergen, NO | 14 |
| BClocation not on record | 13 |
| Zürich, CH | 13 |
| University of Stellenboschlocation not on record | 13 |
| Provo, US | 13 |
| New Haven, US | 12 |
| Trondheim, NO | 12 |
| Yangling, CN | 12 |
| Fort Worth, US | 11 |
| Adelaide, AU | 11 |
| Berlin, DE | 11 |
| Moscow, US | 10 |
| College of the Atlantic, Museumlocation not on record | 10 |
| Salamanca, ES | 10 |
| Salzburg, AT | 9 |
| ASUlocation not on record | 9 |
| San Isidro, AR | 9 |
| Institut und Museum fuer Geologie und Palaeontologielocation not on record | 9 |
| MAlocation not on record | 9 |
| Bozeman, US | 8 |
| Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistanlocation not on record | 8 |
| Logan, US | 8 |
| Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universitat Greifswaldlocation not on record | 8 |
| Turku, FI | 8 |
| Brussel, BE | 7 |
| Pullman, US | 7 |
| Córdoba, AR | 7 |
| Mlocation not on record | 7 |
| Tula State Lev Tolstoy Pedagogical Universitylocation not on record | 7 |
| No collectionlocation not on record | 6 |
| Riverside, US | 6 |
| Missoula, US | 6 |
| Austin, US | 6 |
| BRNUlocation not on record | 6 |
| Pamplona, ES | 6 |
| IDElocation not on record | 6 |
| Albuquerque, US | 6 |
| Armidale, AU | 6 |
| Phoenix, US | 5 |
| TUR-Alocation not on record | 5 |
| Claremont, US | 5 |
| New Brunswick, US | 5 |
| Brisbane, AU | 5 |
| Saint Louis, US | 5 |
| Philadelphia, US | 5 |
| Staten Island, US | 4 |
| UGentlocation not on record | 4 |
| Davis, US | 4 |
| Göteborg, SE | 4 |
| Vancouver, CA | 4 |
| Victoria, CA | 4 |
| Musee des Dinosaures d'Esperaza (Aude)location not on record | 4 |
| JBSlocation not on record | 4 |
| Bend, US | 4 |
| Wellington, NZ | 4 |
| Museum Ludovicae Ulricae, Zoology Institute of the University of Uppsalalocation not on record | 4 |
| Nanchong, CN | 4 |
| Uniwersytet Śląski w Katowicachlocation not on record | 3 |
| The State Museum-Preserve "The Kulikovo pole"location not on record | 3 |
| QAUlocation not on record | 3 |
| Québec, CA | 3 |
| Laboratory of Palaeontologylocation not on record | 3 |
| TROMlocation not on record | 3 |
| San Luis Obispo, US | 3 |
| Oulu, FI | 3 |
| Palmerston North, NZ | 3 |
| USFSlocation not on record | 3 |
| Corvallis, US | 3 |
| Bourges, FR | 3 |
| Caldwell, US | 3 |
| Frankfurt am Main | 2 |
| Université Lavallocation not on record | 2 |
| John May Museum of Natural Historylocation not on record | 2 |
| Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznańlocation not on record | 2 |
| Lanzhou, CN | 2 |
| Santa Barbara, US | 2 |
| The Tula Region State Institution of Culture "Tula Museum Association"location not on record | 2 |
| College Park, US | 2 |
| Shanxi Universitylocation not on record | 2 |
| Coimbra, PT | 2 |
| ESP003location not on record | 2 |
| Bangkok, TH | 2 |
| DOI/NPS, Little Rock Central High School National Historic Sitelocation not on record | 2 |
| BAYLUlocation not on record | 2 |
| Boise, US | 2 |
| Natural History Museum Rotterdamlocation not on record | 2 |
| McWane Science Centerlocation not on record | 2 |
| Finnish Museum of Natural History, Botanical Museumlocation not on record | 2 |
| Staatliches Museum fuer Naturkunde Karlsruhe (State Museum of Natural History)location not on record | 2 |
| Davenport, US | 2 |
| H-Dunkellocation not on record | 2 |
| Ann Arbor, US | 2 |
| Eastern Nevada Landscape Coalitionlocation not on record | 1 |
| Turlock, US | 1 |
| Orem, US | 1 |
| Nijmegen, NL | 1 |
| Museo Achille Folettolocation not on record | 1 |
| Tall Timbers Research Stationlocation not on record | 1 |
| ESP004location not on record | 1 |
| H-Schuhwlocation not on record | 1 |
| Madrid, ES | 1 |
| Hazara Universitylocation not on record | 1 |
| H-Dueringlocation not on record | 1 |
| Rotorua, NZ | 1 |
| Denton, US | 1 |
| Naturalis Biodiversity Centerlocation not on record | 1 |
| Royal Botanic Garden Edinburghlocation not on record | 1 |
| Frauenfeld, CH | 1 |
| Turpan Eremophytes Botanical Garden, Herbariumlocation not on record | 1 |
| Kunming, CN | 1 |
| QVMAGlocation not on record | 1 |
| Alicante, ES | 1 |
| Jaén, ES | 1 |
| Karlsruhe, DE | 1 |
| Tempe, US | 1 |
| Waverly, US | 1 |
| US | 1 |
| NMBU:MINAlocation not on record | 1 |
| Pretoria, ZA | 1 |
| DBF-NHMDlocation not on record | 1 |
| Herbario Universidad de Concepciónlocation not on record | 1 |
| University of Guelph, OAC Herbariumlocation not on record | 1 |
| OLAlocation not on record | 1 |
| IPE-CSIClocation not on record | 1 |
| Granada, ES | 1 |
| Chengdu, CN | 1 |
| Columbia, US | 1 |
| Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Scienceslocation not on record | 1 |
| Millersville, US | 1 |
| Pittsburg, US | 1 |
| Castelar, AR | 1 |
| Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, AR | 1 |
| Museum of the Rockieslocation not on record | 1 |
| Porvoo, FI | 1 |
| Tampa, US | 1 |
| UChlocation not on record | 1 |
| San Diego, US | 1 |
| John T. Waterhouse Herbariumlocation not on record | 1 |
| Henderson, US | 1 |
| Parkville, AU | 1 |
| Stockholm, SE | 1 |
| La Trobe Universitylocation not on record | 1 |
| KMNlocation not on record | 1 |
| Porrentruy, CH | 1 |
| Sion, CH | 1 |
| Namur, BE | 1 |
| National Museum Waleslocation not on record | 1 |
| University of Alberta Museumslocation not on record | 1 |
| Xiamen, CN | 1 |
| Kew, GB | 1 |
| Macomb, US | 1 |
| BSBIlocation not on record | 1 |
| Jena Microbial Resource Collectionlocation not on record | 1 |
| Acadia Universitylocation not on record | 1 |
Cultivated / Captivenot free-living
A living individual in a botanical garden, zoo or nursery — cultivated or kept, not free-living.
Where the DNA of Onopordum acanthium was picked up in samples of water, soil or air — nobody saw the organism, only its DNA left behind. A trace is a clue that the species was near, not a confirmed sighting.
Signal
Where its DNA was found
How strong is each trace?
Modelled climatemodelled
How to read this: each dot is one detection of this species' DNA in an environmental sample. The confidence meter weighs how many independent studies and places back up the signal — one detection in one study is a hint; many across several studies is solid. Records dated before 2008 (when eDNA methods began) are treated as likely mislabeled and left off the map.