Hebrew: מוצית קוצנית, Arabic: شوك
| Scientific name: | Pallenis spinosa (L.) Cass. | |
| Synonym name: | Astericus spinosus (L.) Sch.Bip. | |
| Common name: | Spiny Starwort | |
| Hebrew name: | מוצית קוצנית | |
| Arabic name: | شوك | |
| Family: | Compositae / Asteraceae, מורכבים |
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| Life form: | Hemicryptophyte | |
| Spinescence: | Bracts | |
| Stems: | Up to 60 cm, softly hairy; hard, woody at the base, usually branched, the branches overtopping the main stem | |
| Leaves: | Alternate, rosette, entire, dentate or serrate | |
| Flowers: | Yellowish orange, hermaphrodite disc florets and two whorls of yellow ray florets; long, villous, involucral bracts end in an apical sharp-pointed spine | |
| Fruits / pods: | Achenes 2–2.5 mm | |
| Flowering Period: | April, May, June | |
| Habitat: | Batha, Phrygana | |
| Distribution: | Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Semi-steppe shrublands, Shrub-steppes, Deserts and extreme deserts, Montane vegetation of Mt. Hermon | |
| Chorotype: | Mediterranean | |
| Summer shedding: | Ephemeral |
Derivation of the botanical name: Pallenis , palea (chaff), referring to the chaffy receptacle. spinosa, spinos, "thorny", refers to its spiny nature. Astericus, aster, αστηρ, a star; -icus, Greek -ikos "in the manner of; pertaining to; small star; asterisk. The Hebrew name: מוצית, mozit, from מוצ (=chaff) with suffix -it.
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