Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Carline thistle

Carline thistle

[French carline, Italian, Sp., & Portuguese, carlina. Said to be so called from the Emperor Charlemagne, whose army is reputed to have used it as a remedy for pestilence.]

(Botany) A prickly plant of the genus Carlina (Carlina vulgaris), found in Europe and Asia.