Gundelia tournefortii Tumble Thistle
Gundelia tournefortii is known as Tumble Thistle because when flowering has finished and the plant is dry, the stems easily break off and blow away like a Tumbleweed (Salsola tragus) scattering seeds. There are quite a few plants which behave like this including Lechenaultia divaricata in Australia. Gundelia tournefortii is thought by some taxonomists to be monotypic of this genus but others dispute this and have identified other members of the genus. As yet this is unresolved.
Gundelia tournefortii is found in Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel and Egypt and has been introduced in Algeria.
|
| Gundelia tournefortii Tumble Thistle |
LHS: Nemrut Dagi crater 28th May 2019 RHS: En route to Van, Eastern Turkey 30th May 2019
Added on 30th January 2025