Onopordum carduchorum Bornm. & Beauverd - Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Iran Onopordum carduelium Bolle - Canary Islands Onopordum carduiforme Boiss. - Egypt, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Jordan Onopordum carmanicum (Bornm.) Bornm. - Iran Onopordum caulescens d'Urv. - Greece Onopordum cinereum Grossh. - Caucasus, Turkey, Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan Onopordum corymbosum Willk. - France, Spain Onopordum cynarocephalum Boiss. & Blanche - Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Jordan Onopordum cyrenaicum Maire & Weiller - Libya Onopordum dissectum Murb. - Spain, Morocco Onopordum dyris Maire - Morocco Onopordum elongatum Lam. Onopordum eriocephalum Rouy - France Onopordum espinae Coss. Onopordum heteracanthum C.A.Mey. - Caucasus, Lebanon, Turkey, Syria, Palestine, Iran, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia Onopordum horridum Viv. - Italy Onopordum illyricum L. - Illyrian thistle, Illyrian cottonthistle - Mediterranean Onopordum leptolepis DC. - from Palestine to Altay + Xinjiang Onopordum macracanthum Schousb. - Spain, Portugal, Italy, Morocco, Algeria Onopordum macrocanthum d'Urv. Onopordum macrocephalum Eig - Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Jordan Onopordum mesatlanticum Emb. & Maire - Morocco Onopordum micropterum Pau - Spain, Canary Islands Onopordum minor L. - Iran Onopordum myriacanthum Boiss. - Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria Onopordum nervosum Boiss. - Moor's cottonthistle - Spain, Portugal Onopordum parnassicum Boiss. & Heldr. - Greece, Turkey Onopordum platylepis (Coss. ex Murb.) Murb. - Libya, Tunisia Onopordum polycephalum Boiss. - Turkey Onopordum prjachinii Tamamsch. - Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan Onopordum seravschanicum Tamamsch. - Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan Onopordum sibthorpianum Boiss. & Heldr. - Greece, Sicily, Malta, Turkey, North Macedonia, Saudi Arabia Onopordum tauricum Willd. - Turkish thistle, Taurian thistle, Taurus cottonthistle, bull cottonthistle - southern + central Europe, Ukraine, Middle East Onopordum turcicum Danin - Turkey Onopordum wallianum Maire - Morocco Natural hybrids Onopordum × brevicaule (Onopordum acaulon × Onopordum acanthium ) Onopordum × erectum (Onopordum nervosum ssp. castellanum × Onopordum tauricum ssp. corymbosum ) Onopordum × macronervosum (Onopordum nervosum × Onopordum macrocanthum) Onopordum × onubense (Onopordum dissectum × Onopordum macrocanthum) Onopordum × spinosissimum (Onopordum illyricum × Onopordum acanthium) Invasive problems Some species of Onopordum have been introduced as ornamental plants in the temperate regions of North America and Australia, where they have become naturalised in the wild. In most of these countries, these thistles are considered noxious weeds, especially in Australia where a biological control program has been set up (using the Rosette Crown Weevil, Trichosirocalus briesei). In North America, there are also Trichosirocalus control programs, but they have proved detrimental to native thistles. References Briese, D.T., Lane, D., Hyde-Wyatt, B.H., Crocker, J., Diver,