C. dentatus Vahl, Symb. 1:69, t. 17 (1790). Syn: C. ruber Link in Linnaea 9:580 (1835); C. dentatus subsp. ruber (Link) Hanelt in Feddes Rep. 67:98 (1963). Ic: Sibth. & Sm., Fl. Graeca 9: t. 840 (1837).
Plant 17-60(-100) cm. Stems straw-coloured, villous to arachnoid. Cauline leaves glandular-lanate, greyish-green, 20-60x2-13 mm, ovate-acuminate, amplexicaul, margins spiny-pinnatifid. Capitula in lax to dense corymbs. Outer phyllaries 2.5-5 cm, 1-2 x length of inner, ± erect to strongly reflexed; median constricted, widened above into an ovate-acuminate, purplish-streaked, fimbriate apical appendage. Flowers purple-pink. Fl 7-8. Steppe, fallow land, dry calcareous soils, banks, s.l.-1250 m.
Lectotype: in Tenedos [Bozca, E. Aegean Is.], 13-19 vii 1761, vel in Anatolia, Forsskal (C).
Widespread, but rare in the E. and absent in the N.E. A1(E) Edirne: between Edirne and Söğütlüdere, A. Baytop (ISTE 14150)! A1 (A) Çanakkale: Dardanelles, Sint. 1883:614! A2(E) Istanbul: between Bostanci and Erenköy, 15 viii 1892, Azn. 1333! A4 Kastamonu: nr Kavak Çeşme, Sint. 1892:4909! A5 Amasya: nr Sana, c. 500 m, Bornm. 1489. B1 Izmir: Bornova, 6 vii 1969, Fitz & Spitz. (a)! B4 Niğde: Aksaray to Sereflikoçhisar, 950 m, D. 32843! B6 Maraş: d. Elbistan, Kapidere, D. 20408! B8 Erzincan: Erzincan to Selepür, 1200 m, D. 32663! Cl Aydin: Samsun Da. above Priene, D. 18368! C2 Denizli: Patrak Mahali between Abbas and Acipagam, D. 13291! C3 Antalya: Kumluca to Bey Da.
990 m, Seker & Turan 5968 (a)! C4 Konya: Ermenek, Péronin 140! C5 Adana: Karinca Da., 3 km N.E. of Alpu, 1100 m, Aberdeen Univ. Amanus Exped. F2 441! C6 Hatay: Ekbès, 800 m, Haradjian 699. C8 Mardin: Mazidağ, T.Baytop (ISTE 18234)! Is: Lesvos, Cand.; Khios, Platt 615(a)! Samos, Tigani, Gathorne-Hardy 556(a)! Kalimnos, Myrthies, Rech. 7828: Kos, Asclepieion, Rech. 7928; Nisiros, Papatsou 3; Rodhos, Pichler.
According to Hanelt (loc. cit.), C. dentatus comprises 2 subspecies: subsp. dentatus has the outer phyllaries erect to patent, 1-1.5 x the inner, and the inner pappus scales shorter than the outer; subsp. ruber (Link) Hanelt has outer phyllaries strongly reflexed, at least 2 x as long as the inner, and inner pappus scales as long as the outer. Subsp. dentatus is distributed from N. Greece to W. Iran; subsp. ruber is confined to S. Greece, the Aegean islands and W. coasts of Turkey. Amongst the material cited in this account, variation in the relative lengths of inner and outer phyllaries and pappus scales was not correlated, but some of the specimens from S.W. Turkey, marked (a), had very large capitula with reflexed phyllaries. As no clear-cut distinction could be made between these and the rest of the material, subspecific ranks are not employed here.