About Caucalis platycarpos L.
Caucalis platycarpos L. is an annual plant that grows up to 40 centimetres (16 in) tall, with trailing stems. Its leaves are highly divided into many small leaflets. It produces flowers in umbels that each hold 2 to 5 flowers; individual flowers have petals that are either white or pink. Its fruit is an oblong capsule covered in many hooked spines on its surface. This species is distributed across southwest Asia, North Africa, most of central and Southern Europe, and covers almost all of the Iberian Peninsula. It grows in crop fields, fallow areas, and nitrophilous grasslands. It prefers basic substrates, and occurs at altitudes between 100 and 1000 meters, and can be found up to 1600 meters. Its flowering period runs from March to June, and can extend into July; its fruiting period occurs from May to August.
