220 Species in 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. Plant FAQs: Echinops Ritro – Globe Thistle
  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.

Scroll to Top