Determined as Carlina utzka Hacq. 1782, Pl. alp. carn. according to Gajić (1975 in Josifović). In Flora Europaea (Moore, 1976 in Tutin et al.) this taxon was included in Carlinaacanthifolia All. subsp. acanthifolia, while in The Euro+Med PlantBase (source: Greuter, 2006+) it is given a subspecific rank: Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka (Hacq.) Meusel & Kästner in Denkschr. Österr. Akad. Wiss., Math.-Naturwiss. Kl. 128: 374. 1994.
Lifeform: Acaulescent monocarpic perennial plant; hemicryptophyte according to the Raunkiær system. Plants stay in vegetative stage for several years before flowering and fruiting at the end of the life cycle.
Distribution: Native from the Balkan Peninsula to Ukraine and Poland according to the distribution information provided by The Euro+Med PlantBase (source: Greuter, 2006+) and the Plants of the World Online portal (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew).
Habitat: Rocky terrains, rock cliffs, edges and clearings of forests and coniferous plantations on stony/ rocky ground in the subalpine belt. Mainly found at high elevations in the subalpine belt starting at c. 1500 m. It can also be found sporadically as low as the mountain foot. At lower altitudes it is found mainly on calcareous soil.
Recorded localities: Ponikva (27.08.2022, 15.08.2022, 08.05.2022). Kochani: village of Beli region (18.06.2022).
Flowering period: Late summer to early fall (AUG, SEP).
Locality: Ponikva. Date: 27.08.2022.
Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – habit at flowering. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – habit at flowering. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – habit at flowering. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – habit at flowering. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – habit at flowering. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – habit at flowering. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – habit at fruiting. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – habit of plants in vegetative stage. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – habit in vegetative stage. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – habit in vegetative stage. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – habit in vegetative stage. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – capitulum. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – capitulum. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – inner involucral bracts simulating ligules. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – capitulum. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – capitulum. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – fruiting capitulum. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – florets. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – florets. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – florets. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – florets. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – involucre – outer involucral bracts with spines and inner involucral bracts simulating ligules. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – outer involucral bracts with spines. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – outer involucral bracts with spines and inner involucral bracts simulating ligules. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – inner involucral bracts simulating ligules. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – inner involucral bracts simulating ligules. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – inner involucral bracts simulating ligules. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – leaves of flowering plant. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – leaves. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – leaves. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – leaf. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – leaf. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – adaxial side of leaf. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – adaxial side of leaf. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – abaxial side of leaf. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – abaxial side of leaf. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – abaxial side of leaf. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – leaf petiole. Osogovo, Ponikva, 27.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Locality: Ponikva. Date: 15.08.2022.
Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – plant with closed caitulum on a rainy day. Osogovo, Ponikva, 15.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – plant with closed caitulum on a rainy day. Osogovo, Ponikva, 15.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – closed caitulum on a rainy day. Osogovo, Ponikva, 15.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka – closed caitulum on a rainy day. Osogovo, Ponikva, 15.08.2022. Photo by Trajche Dimitrovski.
Carlina acanthifolia subsp. utzka. Greuter, W. (2006+): Compositae (pro parte majore). – In: Greuter, W. & Raab-Straube, E. von (ed.): Compositae. Euro+Med Plantbase – the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity. Published on the Internet https://europlusmed.org/cdm_dataportal/taxon/564c7c64-404b-4a88-b7b2-3fbc088e5fdb [Accessed 27.08.2022].
Gajić, M. 1975. Rod Carlina L. In Josifović, M. (ed.), Flora SR Srbije, VII. Beograd: Srpska Akademija Nauka i Umetnosti, pp. 180–183.
Moore, D. M. 1976. Carlina L. (incl. Lyrolepis Rech. fil.). 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. 208–211.
