Echinops microcephalus Sm.

Posted byTrajche DimitrovskiPosted inCompositae, Plant families

Taxonomy: Fam. Compositae// Genus: Echinops// Species: Echinops microcephalus Sm.

Determined according to the botanical key provided by Kožuharov (1976 in Tutin et al.).

Lifeform: Perennial plant. Hemicryptophyte according to the Raunkiær system.

Distribution: Native from Southeast Europe to Turkey according to the distribution information provided by the Plants of the World Online portal (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew).

Habitat:  Dry and open habitats – dry grassland, clearings of oak forests, hill pastures.

Flowering period: Summer – fall (AUG, SEP).

Locality: village of Nivichani. Date: 13.08.2023.

Echinops microcephalus – habit. Osogovo – near village of Nivichani, 13.08.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Echinops microcephalus – habit. Osogovo – near village of Nivichani, 13.08.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Echinops microcephalus – habit. Osogovo – near village of Nivichani, 13.08.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Echinops microcephalus – habit. Osogovo – near village of Nivichani, 13.08.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Echinops microcephalus – inflorescence with capitula. Osogovo – near village of Nivichani, 13.08.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Echinops microcephalus – inflorescence with capitula. Osogovo – near village of Nivichani, 13.08.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Echinops microcephalus – inflorescence with capitula. Osogovo – near village of Nivichani, 13.08.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Echinops microcephalus – inflorescence with capitula. Osogovo – near village of Nivichani, 13.08.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Echinops microcephalus – inflorescence with capitula. Osogovo – near village of Nivichani, 13.08.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Echinops microcephalus – inflorescence with capitula. Osogovo – near village of Nivichani, 13.08.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Echinops microcephalus – spent capitula. Osogovo – near village of Nivichani, 13.08.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Echinops microcephalus – stem with leaves. Osogovo – near village of Nivichani, 13.08.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Echinops microcephalus – stem with leaves. Osogovo – near village of Nivichani, 13.08.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Echinops microcephalus – stem with leaves. Osogovo – near village of Nivichani, 13.08.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Echinops microcephalus – leaves. Osogovo – near village of Nivichani, 13.08.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Echinops microcephalus – leaves. Osogovo – near village of Nivichani, 13.08.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Echinops microcephalus – leaf. Osogovo – near village of Nivichani, 13.08.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Echinops microcephalus – adaxial side of leaf. Osogovo – near village of Nivichani, 13.08.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Echinops microcephalus – adaxial side of leaf. Osogovo – near village of Nivichani, 13.08.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Echinops microcephalus – stem. Osogovo – near village of Nivichani, 13.08.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Echinops microcephalus – lower part of stems. Osogovo – near village of Nivichani, 13.08.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Echinops microcephalus – inflorescence. Scale in cm/mm. Specimen from Osogovo – near village of Nivichani, 13.08.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Echinops microcephalus – capitula. Scale in mm. Specimen from Osogovo – near village of Nivichani, 13.08.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Echinops microcephalus – capitula. Scale in mm. Specimen from Osogovo – near village of Nivichani, 13.08.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Echinops microcephalus – floret (left) and involucral bracts (right). Scale in mm. Specimen from Osogovo – near village of Nivichani, 13.08.2023. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.

Locality: hills near village of Beli. Date: 12.09.2021.

Echinops microcephalus – habit. Osogovo, hilly region near village of Beli, 12.09.2021. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Echinops microcephalus – habit. Osogovo, hilly region near village of Beli, 12.09.2021. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Echinops microcephalus – inflorescence with capitula. Osogovo, hilly region near village of Beli, 12.09.2021. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Echinops microcephalus – inflorescence with spent capitula. Osogovo, hilly region near village of Beli, 12.09.2021. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Echinops microcephalus – stem with cauline leaves. Osogovo, hilly region near village of Beli, 12.09.2021. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Echinops microcephalus – cauline leaves. Osogovo, hilly region near village of Beli, 12.09.2021. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.

References:

Echinops microcephalus. Greuter, W. 2006+: Compositae (pro parte majore). – In: Greuter, W. & Raab-Straube, E. von, Compositae. Euro+Med PlantBase – the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity. Published at https://europlusmed.org/. https://europlusmed.org/cdm_dataportal/taxon/3a0d7024-8e3e-420a-b1d9-8ee4cc947fc3 [Accessed 04.09.2026].

Echinops microcephalus Sm. Plants of the World Online portal, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:202585-1 [Accessed 17.01.2022].

Kožuharov, S. 1976. Echinops L. In Tutin, T. G., Heywood, V. H., Burges, N. A., Moore, D. M., Valentine, D. H., Walters, S. M. & Webb, D. A. (eds.), Flora Europaea. Volume 4. Plantaginaceae to Compositae (and Rubiaceae). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 212–214.

Last update: 09.04.2026.