This annual plant is a native of the Mediterranean Basin, but it is familiar in other places where it was introduced and has become a noxious weed, such as in parts of North America and southern Australia[3] with similar climates.

This is a spiny, glandular, woolly plant, which often seems to be covered in spiders' webs, due to its fine tangled fibers.

It has a pale stem which may reach a meter in height, and rigid, pointed, very spiny leaves.

In Australia the plant is commonly regarded as a pasture weed because it competes with desired plants such as pasture or crops, seeds and bracts become embedded in wool which results in lower returns to farmers, and dense infestations restrict stock access and are difficult to walk through.

Population models suggest that strategic grazing may be one of the most effective long-term control options for infested pastures.