View source for Scolymus

__NOTOC__{{Plantbox
| name = ''LATINNAME''   <!--- replace LATINNAME with the actual latin name -->
| common_names =     <!--- if multiple, list all, if none, leave blank -->
| growth_habit = ?   <!--- tree, shrub, herbaceous, vine, etc -->
| high = ?   <!--- 1m (3 ft) -->
| wide =     <!--- 65cm (25 inches) -->
| origin = ?   <!--- Mexico, S America, S Europe, garden, etc -->
| poisonous =     <!--- indicate parts of plants which are known/thought to be poisonous -->
| lifespan =     <!--- perennial, annual, etc -->
| exposure = ?   <!--- full sun, part-sun, semi-shade, shade, indoors, bright filtered (you may list more than 1) -->
| water = ?   <!--- frequent, regular, moderate, drought tolerant, let dry then soak -->
| features =     <!--- flowers, fragrance, fruit, naturalizes, invasive -->
| hardiness =     <!--- frost sensitive, hardy, 5°C (40°F), etc -->
| bloom =     <!--- seasons which the plant blooms, if it is grown for its flowers -->
| usda_zones = ?   <!--- eg. 8-11 -->
| sunset_zones =     <!--- eg. 8, 9, 12-24, not available -->
| color = IndianRed
| image = Upload.png   <!--- Freesia.jpg -->
| image_width = 240px    <!--- leave as 240px if horizontal orientation photo, or change to 180px if vertical -->
| image_caption =     <!--- eg. Cultivated freesias -->
| regnum = Plantae  <!--- Kingdom -->
| divisio =   <!--- Phylum -->
| classis =    <!--- Class -->
| ordo =    <!--- Order -->
| familia =    <!--- Family -->
| genus = 
| species = 
| subspecies = 
| cultivar = 
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Scolymus (old Greek name used by Hesiod). Compositae. Three or four herbs, all natives of the Mediterranean region. S. grandiflorus, a perennial species, is rarely cultivated abroad for its flowers and S. maculatus, an annual species, for its variegated foliage. 

Scolymus hispanicus (Fig. 3580) is the vegetable known as golden thistle or Spanish oyster plant. It makes a root very like salsify, except that it is much lighter colored and considerably longer. Its flavor is less pronounced than that of salsify, but when carefully cooked, it possesses a very agreeable quality which is somewhat intermediate between that of salsify and parsnip. It is adapted to all the methods of cooking employed for those vegetables. The particular value of the Spanish oyster plant, aside from affording a variety in the kitchen-garden, is its large size and productiveness as compared with salsify. The product may be nearly twice as great, for a given area, as for salsify. The seeds are much easier to handle and to sow than those of salsify. They are sown in March or April. The seeds, or rather achenes, are flat and yellowish, surrounded by a white scarious margin. The roots may be dug either in fall or spring. The greatest fault of the Spanish oyster plant lies in the prickly character of the leaves, which makes the plant uncomfortable to handle. The roots are often 10 to 12 inches long and 1 inch thick. It is said that the leaves and stalks are eaten like cardoons by the people of Salamanca; also that the flowers are used to adulterate saffron.

The S. hispanicus, Linn., is a biennial plant, native to S. Eu. The radical lvs. are very spiny, oblong, pinnatifid, dark green, marked with pale green spots. The plant grows 2- 2 1/2 ft. high, is much branched and bears bright yellow fl.-heads which are sessile and contain only 2 or 3 fls., all of which are ligulate. The heads are sessile, terminal, and axillary. 
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==Cultivation==
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===Propagation===
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===Pests and diseases===
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==Species==
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==Gallery==
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<gallery>
Image:Upload.png| photo 1
Image:Upload.png| photo 2
Image:Upload.png| photo 3
</gallery>

==References==
*[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
<!--- xxxxx  *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381  -->
<!--- xxxxx  *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432  -->
<!--- xxxxx  *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608  -->

==External links==
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[[Category:Categorize]]

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