220 Species of Genus Echinops

Echinops: My Prickly Passion

I’ve always been drawn to the unusual, the plants that buck the trend. Give me spiky over soft, architectural over rambling, and blue over, well, almost anything. That’s why I, Ferb Vu, find myself utterly captivated by Echinops, the globe thistles.

These aren’t your typical fuzzy, friendly flowers. No, these are steely, striking, and a bit prickly, with a defiant beauty that demands attention. Imagine a perfect sphere, composed of hundreds of tiny florets, each with its own needle-sharp point. It’s a botanical pincushion, a tiny world of texture and intricate detail. And when those globes are the color of a summer sky, well, that’s when the magic really happens.

A World of Blue

The most common color you’ll find in the Echinops genus is that incredible blue. It’s not a soft, pastel blue, mind you. This is a bold, saturated hue that vibrates in the sunlight. It’s the kind of blue that draws your eye from across the garden, a beacon in a sea of green.

But the genus isn’t limited to just one shade. There’s Echinops ritro, the classic globe thistle, with its intense, almost electric blue flowers. Then there’s Echinops sphaerocephalus, which offers a more muted, silvery-blue, and Echinops bannaticus, ‘Taplow Blue’, with its large, deep blue globes on tall stems. And for those who prefer a touch of the unexpected, there’s Echinops exaltatus, ‘Arctic Glow’, boasting white flowers that fade to a soft, icy blue.

More Than Just a Pretty Face

While I adore their aesthetics, my fascination with Echinops goes beyond mere looks. These plants are tough. They thrive in conditions that would make other plants wilt – poor soil, scorching sun, and even drought. They’re survivors, a testament to the resilience of nature.

And they’re not just tough, they’re also incredibly beneficial to the ecosystem. Their nectar-rich flowers are a magnet for pollinators, attracting bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects to the garden. They’re a vital food source, supporting a whole web of life.

A Diverse Family

The Echinops genus is surprisingly diverse, with over 200 recognized species. Here are just a few of the standouts:

1. Echinops abazariae Mozaff.
2. Echinops aberdaricus R.E.Fr.
3. Echinops abstersibilis Iljin
4. Echinops abuzinadianus Chaudhary
5. Echinops acantholepis Jaub. & Spach
6. Echinops adenocaulos Boiss.
7. Echinops adenoclados (Hedge) C.Vural
8. Echinops afghanicus Gilli
9. Echinops albicaulis Kar. & Kir.
10. Echinops albidus Boiss. & Spruner
11. Echinops amoenus Rech.f.
12. Echinops amplexicaulis Oliv.
13. Echinops angustilobus S.Moore
14. Echinops antalyensis C.Vural
15. Echinops arachniolepis Rech.f.
16. Echinops araneosus Lazkov
17. Echinops armatus Steven
18. Echinops armenus Grossh.
19. Echinops atrox Kit Tan
20. Echinops aucheri Boiss.
21. Echinops austroiranicus Mozaff.
22. Echinops avajensis Mozaff.
23. Echinops babatagensis Tschern.
24. Echinops bakhtiaricus Rech.f.
25. Echinops bampsianus Lisowski
26. Echinops bannaticus Rochel ex Schrad.
27. Echinops barezicus Montaz. & Mozaff.
28. Echinops borae C.Vural
29. Echinops bovei Boiss.
30. Echinops brevipenicillatus Tschern.
31. Echinops buhaitensis Mesfin
32. Echinops candelabrum Rech.f.
33. Echinops cephalotes DC.
34. Echinops ceratophorus Boiss.
35. Echinops cervicornis Bornm.
36. Echinops chantavicus Trautv.
37. Echinops chardinii Boiss. & Buhse
38. Echinops chloroleucus Rech.f.
39. Echinops chlorophyllus Rech.f.
40. Echinops chodzha-mumini Rassulova & B.A.Sharipova
41. Echinops chorassanicus Bunge
42. Echinops conrathii Freyn
43. Echinops coriophyllus C.Shih
44. Echinops cornigerus DC.
45. Echinops cyanocephalus Boiss. & Hausskn.
46. Echinops cyrenaicus E.A.Durand & Barratte
47. Echinops dagestanicus Iljin
48. Echinops dasyanthus Regel & Schmalh.
49. Echinops davuricus Fisch. ex Hornem.
50. Echinops delicatus Mozaff.
51. Echinops descendens Hand.-Mazz.
52. Echinops dichrous Boiss. & Hausskn.
53. Echinops dissectus Kitag.
54. Echinops dubjanskyi Iljin
55. Echinops dumanii C.Vural
56. Echinops ecbatanus Bornm. ex Rech.f.
57. Echinops echinatus Roxb.
58. Echinops ellenbeckii O.Hoffm.
59. Echinops elymaiticus Born
60. Echinops emiliae O.Schwarz ex P.H.Davis
61. Echinops endotrichus Rech.f.
62. Echinops erinaceus Kit Tan
63. Echinops erioceras Bornm.
64. Echinops eryngiifolius O.Hoffm.
65. Echinops exaltatus Schrad.
66. Echinops fastigiatus Kamelin & Tscherneva
67. Echinops faucicola Rech.f.
68. Echinops fedtschenkoi Iljin
69. Echinops foliosus Sommier & Levier
70. Echinops fontqueri Pau
71. Echinops fraudator C.C.Towns.
72. Echinops freitagii Rech.f.
73. Echinops gaillardotii Boiss.
74. Echinops galalensis Schweinf.
75. Echinops gedrosiacus Bornm.
76. Echinops ghoranus Rech.f.
77. Echinops giganteus A.Rich.
78. Echinops glaberrimus DC.
79. Echinops glandulosopunctatus Rech.f.
80. Echinops gmelinii Turcz.
81. Echinops gracilis O.Hoffm.
82. Echinops graecus Mill.
83. Echinops griffithianus Boiss.
84. Echinops grijsii Hance
85. Echinops guineensis C.D.Adams
86. Echinops haussknechtii Boiss.
87. Echinops hebelepis DC.
88. Echinops hedgei Kit Tan
89. Echinops heteromorphus Bunge
90. Echinops heterophyllus P.H.Davis
91. Echinops himantophyllus Mattf.
92. Echinops hispidus Fresen.
93. Echinops hissaricus Rassulova & B.A.Sharipova
94. Echinops hoehnelii Schweinf.
95. Echinops hololeucus Rech.f.
96. Echinops humilis M.Bieb.
97. Echinops hussonii Boiss.
98. Echinops hystrichoides Kit Tan
99. Echinops ilicifolius Bunge
100. Echinops inermis Boiss. & Hausskn.
101. Echinops integrifolius Kar. & Kir.
102. Echinops iranshahrii Rech.f.
103. Echinops jaxarticus Bunge
104. Echinops jesdianus Boiss. & Buhse
105. Echinops kafirniganus Bobrov
106. Echinops kandaharensis Rech.f. & Köie
107. Echinops karatavicus Regel & Schmalh.
108. Echinops kasakorum Pavlov
109. Echinops kazerunensis Mozaff.
110. Echinops kebericho Mesfin
111. Echinops keredjensis Rech.f.
112. Echinops kermanshahanicus Mozaff.
113. Echinops khansaricus Mozaff.
114. Echinops khuzistanicus Mozaff.
115. Echinops knorringianus Iljin
116. Echinops kotschyi Boiss.
117. Echinops kurdicus Bunge
118. Echinops lalesarensis Bornm.
119. Echinops lanatus C.Jeffrey & Mesfin
120. Echinops laricus Mozaff.
121. Echinops lasiolepis Bunge
122. Echinops leiopolyceras Bornm.
123. Echinops leiopolyceroides Mozaff.
124. Echinops leucographus Bunge
125. Echinops lipskyi Iljin
126. Echinops longifolius A.Rich.
127. Echinops longipenicillatus Mozaff. & Ghahr.
128. Echinops longisetus A.Rich.
129. Echinops macrochaetus Fresen.
130. Echinops macrophyllus Boiss. & Hausskn.
131. Echinops malacophyllus Rech.f.
132. Echinops mandavillei Kit Tan
133. Echinops maracandicus Bunge
134. Echinops melitenensis Hedge & Hub.-Mor.
135. Echinops mersinensis Gemici & Leblebici
136. Echinops microcephalus Sm.
137. Echinops mildbraedii Mattf.
138. Echinops multicaulis Nevski
139. Echinops nanus Bunge
140. Echinops nitens Bornm.
141. Echinops niveus Wall. ex DC.
142. Echinops nizvanus Rech.f.
143. Echinops nuratavicus A.D.Li
144. Echinops obliquilobus Iljin
145. Echinops onopordum P.H.Davis
146. Echinops opacifolius Iljin
147. Echinops orientalis Trautv.
148. Echinops ossicus K.Koch
149. Echinops oxyodontus Bornm. & Diels
150. Echinops pabotii Rech.f.
151. Echinops pachyphyllus Rech.f.
152. Echinops pannosus Rech.f.
153. Echinops pappii Chiov.
154. Echinops paradoxus Rech.f.
155. Echinops parviflorus Boiss. & Buhse
156. Echinops pathanorum Rech.f.
157. Echinops × pellenzianus Hügin & W.Lohmeyer
158. Echinops phaeocephalus Hand.-Mazz.
159. Echinops philistaeus Feinbrun & Zohary
160. Echinops polyacanthus Iljin
161. Echinops polyceras Boiss.
162. Echinops polychromus Rech.f.
163. Echinops polygamus Bunge
164. Echinops praetermissus Nevski
165. Echinops prionolepis Bornm. & Mattf.
166. Echinops procerus Mozaff.
167. Echinops przewalskyi Iljin
168. Echinops psammophilus Mozaff.
169. Echinops pseudomaracandicus Rassulova & B.A.Sharipova
170. Echinops pseudosetifer Kitag.
171. Echinops pubisquameus Iljin
172. Echinops pungens Trautv.
173. Echinops quercetorum Mozaff.
174. Echinops raddeanus Sommier & Levier
175. Echinops rahiminejadii Negaresh
176. Echinops rajasthanensis R.P.Pandey & V.Singh
177. Echinops rectangularis Rech.f.
178. Echinops registanicus Rech.f.
179. Echinops reticulatus E.A.Bruce
180. Echinops ritro L.
181. Echinops ritrodes Bunge
182. Echinops robustus Bunge
183. Echinops rubromontanus Kamelin ex Rassulova & B.A.Sharipova
184. Echinops sabzevarensis Mozaff.
185. Echinops sahyadricus S.More, F.Conti & H.S.Bhosale
186. Echinops saissanicus (B.Keller) Bobrov
187. Echinops saksonovii Vasjukov
188. Echinops setifer Iljin
189. Echinops shahrudensis Mozaff. & Ghahr.
190. Echinops shakrokii S.A.Ahmad
191. Echinops sheilae Kit Tan
192. Echinops shulabadensis Mozaff.
193. Echinops siculus Strobl
194. Echinops sintenisii Freyn
195. Echinops sojakii Rech.f.
196. Echinops sphaerocephalus L.
197. Echinops spiniger Iljin
198. Echinops spinosissimus Turra
199. Echinops strigosus L.
200. Echinops sulaimanii Rech.f.
201. Echinops sylvicola C.Shih
202. Echinops szowitzii Fisch. & C.A.Mey. ex DC.
203. Echinops taeckholmianus Amin
204. Echinops taftanicus Mozaff. & Ghahr.
205. Echinops talassicus Golosk.
206. Echinops tataricus Knjaz.
207. Echinops tenuisectus Rech.f.
208. Echinops tjanschanicus Bobrov
209. Echinops tournefortii Ledeb. ex Trautv.
210. Echinops transcaspicus Bornm.
211. Echinops transcaucasicus Iljin
212. Echinops transiliensis Golosk.
213. Echinops tricholepis Schrenk ex Fisch. & C.A.Mey.
214. Echinops tschimganicus B.Fedtsch.
215. Echinops vaginatus Boiss. & Hausskn.
216. Echinops villosissimus Bunge
217. Echinops viridifolius Iljin
218. Echinops viscidulus Mozaff.
219. Echinops wakhanicus Rech.f.
220. Echinops yemenicus Kit Tan

A Place in Every Garden

Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting out, there’s an Echinops for you. These versatile plants can be used in a variety of ways, from adding a touch of drama to a border to creating a striking focal point in a gravel garden. They’re also excellent for cutting, their unique form adding interest to fresh or dried arrangements.

For me, Echinops represents the perfect blend of beauty and resilience. They’re a reminder that strength and beauty can coexist, and that even the prickliest characters can have a soft side. So, if you’re looking for a plant that’s a little bit different, a little bit wild, and a whole lot beautiful, I urge you to give Echinops a try. You won’t be disappointed.