H. Beentje (2005) Carthamus. Flora of Somalia 3: 476-477
Plants annual or perennial herbs. Leaves alternate, spiny. Inflorescences of solitary capitula or corymbose clusters of several to many capitula. Capitula homagamous, discoid; phyllaries with spiny margins; flowers slender; styles with long, linear branches. Achenes obovoid, smooth, glabrous; pappuses double, the outer of larger scales, the inner of smaller scales, often absent in the outer flowers.
Carthamus includes about 17 species. They are native to southern Europe, Asia, and North Africa. One species, Carthamus nitidus, is known from eastern Somaliland. A second species, Carthamus tinctorius has been cultivated in Somalia, in region S3 of the Flora of Somalia.
Note: GBIF records include introduced and cultivated plants. Consequently, the distribution shown often differs from statements about a taxon's native distribution.