Echinops bannaticus, known as the blue globe-thistle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to southeastern Europe. It is a herbaceous perennial thistle, growing to , with prickly foliage and spherical blue flower heads in summer.
The Latin specific epithet bannaticus refers to the Banat, a region in Central Europe (now split between Romania, Hungary, and Serbia) where the plant is found.
The species is widely naturalised in Great Britain.
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See also List of Balkan endemic plants
References