Picture Notes:  

More Information:                                

Distribution:  Mediterranean region(southern Europe, northwest Africa).

Synonyms:  

Hardiness Zone:  USDA Zones 7-10       (view USDA zone map)

Size:   3-4 ft. by 3 ft.

Form:   Herbaceous semi-hardy perennial.

Bark:   

Stem/Bud:    Stems are erect, tall, sturdy and form a dense clump.

Leaves:    Leaves are not as deeply lobed nor narrowed at base as A. balcanicus. Arching, large leaves are dark green, shiny, wavy, without spines, deeply divided and cut, bold, and thistle-like.

Fall Color:   

Flower:    Flowers are white with spiny purple bracts with hairy margins; flowering June to July.

Fruit:    Fruit are two-celled capsules with two seeds in each cell.

Uses:    Use in a shade garden as a specimen plant or as an accent plant with hosta and ferns. Flower spikes can be used in dried flower arrangements.

Problems:       Snails and slugs can become a problem.

Culture:    Grow in full sun or part-shade in well-drained soil. Mulch in the winter for protection. Not as drought tolerant as A. spinosus or balcanicus.

Links:   

Notes:   Leaves smooth and not thistle like. Flowers white, but leaves are most showy part of plant; grows best in shady sites.

Notes 2:   

Notes 3:   

Cultivars:   

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