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Unlike other thistles, all of which belong to the Compositae or Daisy family, the flowers of the carline thistles are of the daisy type: a central disk made up of small florets, surrounded by ray petals. Photograph by Nathan Heavers, MMA, 2006.
The flowers have been used as rustic hygrometers in Europe, and can be seen nailed to doors for that purpose. The petals open out in dry weather and close up when the weather is damp.