Echinops ritro: Country Or Region Of Origin
Europe to Mongolia and Turkey
Plant Profile: Echinops ritro
Taxonomy: Echinops ritroNames
Globe Thistle
Phonetic Spelling:EK-in-ops REE-troh
Genus:Echinops
Species:ritro
Family:Asteraceae
The round clusters of small blue flowers on the Globe Thistle are highly appealing to bees and butterflies. This plant thrives in various soil types, provided they are well-drained and not overly rich in nutrients. Its blooms emerge from mid-summer and continue through September, complemented by its attractive gray-green, hairy foliage. Additionally, the Globe Thistle is resilient against drought, as well as deer and rabbits, making it a great choice for the back of a perennial border.
For preserving the vibrant blue hue in dried arrangements, it’s best to harvest the flowers while they are still young and place them in a warm, dry environment.
Echinops ritro Feature Summary
Tags
#full sun tolerant
#blue
#perennial
#blue flowers
#cut flowers
#dried flowers
#summer flowers
#pollinator plant
#thistle-like
#partial shade tolerant
#non-toxic for horses
#non-toxic for dogs
#non-toxic for cats
Similar Plants
Echinops ritro Feature Summary
Attributes
Europe to Mongolia and Turkey
Perennial
Division
Root Cutting
Fruit
Spherical seedheads are attractive.
Capsule
Flowers
1-2 inch steel-blue round flower heads appear on stiff stems in mid-summer through September. Small individual flowers are star-shaped.
Blue
Good Cut
Showy
Good Dried
Summer
4-5 petals/rays
Crown
Star
1-3 inches
Leaves
Coarse, spiny, deeply-dissected, gray-green leaves are white tomentose beneath. Basal leaves grow to 6-8” long and 1-3 inches wide, but stem leaves grow shorter.
Deciduous
Green
Gray/Silver
Simple
Alternate
Rosulate
Elliptical
Oblanceolate
Lobed
> 6 inches
Leathery
1-3 inches
Stem
Stiff grayish-white stems with hairs
Hairy (pubescent)
Whole Plant Traits
Perennial
Deciduous
Erect
Medium
Low
Coarse
Cultural Conditions
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Good Drainage
Coastal
Mountains
Piedmont
4a
4b
5b
5a
6a
6b
7a
7b
8b
8a
2a
2b
3a
3b
Clay
Loam (Silt)
Sand
Shallow Rocky
Landscape
Cutting Garden
Pollinator Garden
Cottage Garden
Border
Small groups
Drought
Rabbits
Dry Soil
Poor Soil
Pollinators
Echinops ritro Image Gallery
Echinops ritro Attributes
Echinops ritro: Life Cycle
Annual
Biennial
Bulb
Perennial
Woody
Echinops ritro: Recommended Propagation Strategy
Division
Grafting
Layering
Leaf Cutting
Root Cutting
Seed
Stem Cutting
Echinops ritro Fruit
Echinops ritro: Fruit Description
Spherical seedheads are attractive.
Echinops ritro: Fruit Type
Achene
Aggregate
Berry
Capsule
Caryopsis
Drupe
Follicle
Legume
Nut
Pome
Samara
Schizocarp
Siliqua
Echinops ritro: Fruit Value To Gardener
Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long Bloom Season
Long-lasting
Showy
Echinops ritro: Display/Harvest Time
Fall
Spring
Summer
Winter
Echinops ritro Flowers
Echinops ritro: Flower Description
1-2 inch steel-blue round flower heads appear on stiff stems in mid-summer through September. Small individual flowers are star-shaped.
Echinops ritro: Flower Color
Blue
Echinops ritro: Flower Inflorescence
Catkin
Corymb
Cyme
Head
Insignificant
Panicle
Raceme
Solitary
Spadix
Spike
Umbel
Echinops ritro: Flower Value To Gardener
Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long Bloom Season
Long-lasting
Showy
Echinops ritro: Flower Bloom Time
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Echinops ritro: Flower Petals
2-3 rays/petals
4-5 petals/rays
6 petals/rays
7 - 20 petals/rays
asymmetrical petals
Bracts
Colored Sepals
fused petals
more than 20 petals/rays
Tepals
Echinops ritro: Flower Shape
Bell
Cross
Crown
Cup
Dome
Funnel
Irregular
Lipped
Radial
Saucer
Star
Trumpet
Tubular
Urn
Wheel
Echinops ritro: Flower Size
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
< 1 inch
> 6 inches
Echinops ritro Leaves
Echinops ritro: Leaf Description
Coarse, spiny, deeply-dissected, gray-green leaves are white tomentose beneath. Basal leaves grow to 6-8” long and 1-3 inches wide, but stem leaves grow shorter.
Echinops ritro: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics
Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen
Echinops ritro: Leaf Color
Gray/Silver
Green
Echinops ritro: Leaf Type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Fronds
Needles
Sheath
Simple
Echinops ritro: Leaf Arrangement
Alternate
Opposite
Other/more complex
Rosulate
Whorled
Echinops ritro: Leaf Shape
Acicular
Auriculate
Cordate
Cuneate
Deltoid
Elliptical
Filiform
Lanceolate
Linear
Oblanceolate
Oblong
Obovate
Obtuse
Orbicular
Ovate
Palmasect
Palmatifid
Peltate
Pinnatifid
Pinnatisect
Reniform
Rhomboidal
Spatulate
Subcordate
Subulate
Echinops ritro: Leaf Margin
Crenate
Crenulate
Dentate
Denticulate
Doubly Crenate
Doubly Dentate
Doubly Serrate
Entire
Lobed
Serrate
Sinuate
Undulate
Echinops ritro: Hairs Present
No
Yes
Echinops ritro: Leaf Length
< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches
Echinops ritro: Leaf Feel
Fleshy
Glossy
Leathery
Papery
Prickly
Rough
Rubbery
Slippery
Smooth
Soft
Velvety
Waxy
Echinops ritro: Leaf Value To Gardener
Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long-lasting
Showy
Echinops ritro: Leaf Width
< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches
Echinops ritro Stem
Echinops ritro: Stem Description
Stiff grayish-white stems with hairs
Echinops ritro: Stem Is Aromatic
No
Yes
Echinops ritro: Stem Surface
Corky Ridges
Covered with a powdery bloom (glaucous)
Dull
Hairy (pubescent)
Polished
Smooth (glabrous)
Echinops ritro Whole Plant Traits
Echinops ritro: Plant Type
Annual
Bulb
Carnivorous
Edible
Epiphyte
Fern
Ground Cover
Herb
Herbaceous Perennial
Houseplant
Mushroom
Native Plant
Ornamental Grasses and Sedges
Perennial
Poisonous
Rose
Shrub
Succulent
Tree
Turfgrass
Vegetable
Vine
Water Plant
Weed
Wildflower
Echinops ritro: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics
Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen
Echinops ritro: Habit/Form
Arching
Ascending
Broad
Cascading
Climbing
Clumping
Columnar
Conical
Creeping
Dense
Erect
Horizontal
Irregular
Mounding
Multi-stemmed
Multi-trunked
Open
Oval
Prostrate
Pyramidal
Rounded
Spreading
Vase
Weeping
Echinops ritro: Growth Rate
Slow
Medium
Rapid
Echinops ritro: Maintenance
Low
Medium
High
Echinops ritro: Texture
Fine
Medium
Coarse
Echinops ritro Cultural Conditions
Echinops ritro: Light
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Echinops ritro: Soil Drainage
Frequent Standing Water
Good Drainage
Moist
Occasional Flooding
Occasionally Dry
Occasionally Wet
Very Dry
Echinops ritro: NC Region
Coastal
Mountains
Piedmont
Echinops ritro: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone
2a
2b
3a
3b
4a
4b
5a
5b
6a
6b
7a
7b
8a
8b
Echinops ritro: Soil Texture
Clay
High Organic Matter
Loam (Silt)
Sand
Shallow Rocky
Echinops ritro Landscape
Echinops ritro: Landscape Theme
Asian Garden
Butterfly Garden
Children's Garden
Cottage Garden
Cutting Garden
Drought Tolerant Garden
Edible Garden
English Garden
Fairy Garden
Garden for the Blind
Native Garden
Nighttime Garden
Pollinator Garden
Rain Garden
Rock Garden
Shade Garden
Water Garden
Winter Garden
Echinops ritro: Design Feature
Accent
Barrier
Border
Flowering Tree
Foundation Planting
Hedge
Mass Planting
Screen/Privacy
Security
Shade Tree
Small groups
Small Tree
Specimen
Street Tree
Understory Tree
Echinops ritro: Resistance To Challenges
Black Walnut
Compaction
Deer
Diseases
Drought
Dry Soil
Erosion
Fire
Foot Traffic
Heat
Heavy Shade
Humidity
Insect Pests
Pollution
Poor Soil
Rabbits
Salt
Slugs
Squirrels
Storm damage
Urban Conditions
Voles
Wet Soil
Wind
Echinops ritro: Attracts
Bats
Bees
Butterflies
Frogs
Hummingbirds
Moths
Pollinators
Predatory Insects
Reptiles
Small Mammals
Songbirds
Specialized Bees
