Cynareae


The Cynareae are a tribe of flowering plants in the daisy family and the subfamily Carduoideae. Most of them are commonly known as thistles; four of the best known genera are Carduus, Cynara, Cirsium, and Onopordum.
They are annual, biennial, or perennial herbs. Many species are thorny on leaves, stems, or involucre, and some have laticifers or resin conduits. Almost 80 genera comprising 2500 species are assigned to this tribe, native of temperate regions of Europe and Asia, Australia and tropical Africa; only three genera contain species native to the Americas.

Taxonomy

Cardueae is a synonym for Cynareae, but the name Cynareae was published almost a decade earlier, so has precedence.
Some authors have divided the plants traditionally held to be in this tribe into three tribes: Cynareae in the narrow sense, Carlineae, and Echinopeae. However, other authors have retained the traditional broader classification.