Centaurea cyanus

Taxonomy

Unambiguous Synonyms:

1. Leucacantha cyanus (L.) Nieuwl. and Lunell

Notes:

Name Status: Accepted Name. Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000

Place of publication: Sp. pl. 2:911. 1753

Name verified on 20-May-1992 by ARS Systematic Botanists. Last updated: 19-Apr-2000

Physical Description

Genus Centaurea:

Annuals, biennials, or perennials, 20-300 cm, glabrous or tomentose. Stems erect, ascending, or spreading, simple or branched. Leaves basal and cauline; petiolate or sessile; proximal blade margins often ± deeply lobed, (spiny in C. benedicta ), distal ± smaller, often entire, faces glabrous or ± tomentose, sometimes also villous, strigose, or puberulent, often glandular-punctate. Heads discoid, disciform, or radiant, borne singly or in corymbiform arrays. Involucres cylindric or ovoid to hemispheric . Phyllaries many in 6-many series, unequal, proximal part appressed, body margins entire. distal parts expanded into erect to spreading, usually ± dentate or fringed, linear to ovate appendages, spine. tipped or spineless. Receptacles flat, epaleate, bristly. Florets 10-many; outer usually sterile, corollas slender and inconspicuous to much expanded, ± bilateral; inner fertile, corollas white to blue, pink, purple, or yellow, bilateral or radial, often bent at junction of tubes and throats, lobes linear-oblong, acute; anther bases tailed, apical appendages oblong; style branches: fused portions with minutely hairy nodes, distinct portions minute. Cypselae ± barrel-shaped, ± compressed, smooth or ribbed, apices entire (denticulate in C. benedicta ), glabrous or with fine, 1-celled hairs, attachment scar. lateral (with or without elaiosomes) ; pappi 0 or ± persistent, of 1-3 series of smooth or minutely barbed, stiff bristles or narrow scales . x = 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15.

Species ca. 500: introduced; Eurasia, n Africa, widely introduced worldwide.

Taxonomic limits of Centaurea have been controversial. The genus has great morphologic diversity, and studies have revealed much cytologic (e.g., N. Garcia-Jacas et al. 1996) and palynologic (e.g., G. Wagenitz 1955) variation as well. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, various taxonomists attempted, with limited success, to divide Centaurea into smaller genera or workable infrageneric taxa. The relations of several satellite genera have been controversial as well.

Recent molecular phylogenetic studies (A. Susanna et al. 1995; N. Garcia-Jacas et al. 2000, 2001) have begun to clarify relationships within Centaurea and between Centaurea and other genera. These studies make it clear that Centaurea as traditionally defined is polyphyletic, and that generic boundaries should be realigned if monophyletic taxa are to be recognized. Some taxa traditionally included within Centaurea (e.g., the two native North American species, Centaurea americana and C. rothrockii) fall outside the redefined generic boundaries and are here treated in Plectocephalus. Others usually placed into segregate genera (e.g., Cnicus benedictus) are firmly nested within Centaurea. Because the type species of Centaurea (C. centaurium Linnaeus, an African species) falls outside the main lineage of the genus, a proposal has been made to conserve Centaurea with a different type species (W. Greuter et al. 2001), thereby maintaining the nomenclatural stability of most of the numerous species that do fall within the principal Centaurea clade.

Although several Centaurea species are widely established as members of the North American flora, and some of these are widely distributed invasive weeds, some of the taxa listed by J. T. Kartesz and C. A. Meacham (1999) are apparently waifs and not permanent members of the flora. These taxa are discussed informally immediately below.

Although Cnicus has usually been recognized as a distinctive monotypic genus, it has been merged into Centaurea by various authors (e.g., K. Bremer 1994; G. Wagenitz and F. H. Hellwig 1996) . Recent molecular systematic studies (N. Garcia-Jacas et al. 2000) provide additional evidence that it is nested within Centaurea.^[1]

Habit: Forb/herb

Flowers: Bloom Period: April, May, June, July, August. • Flower Color: blue-violet, light blue, medium blue, near white, pink, white

Images:

Distribution

Range and Population

North America

Native: .

Reproduction

Duration: Annual

Growth

Culture: Space 9-12" apart.

Soil: Minimum pH: 6.6 • Maximum pH: 7.8

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun.

Similar Species

Members of the genus Centaurea:

There are approximately 2,791 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them: C. 'Caramia' · C. 'John Coutts' · C. 'Jordy' · C.'Nigra' (Bachelor Buttons) · C. abbreviata · C. abchasica · C. abdelkaderi · C. abdelkaridi · C. abnormis · C. abrotanifolia · C. absinthifolia · C. abyssinica · C. acanthodes · C. acarnanica · C. acaulis · C. acaulis subsp. boissieri · C. achaia · C. achaia achaia · C. achaia subsp. corinthiaca · C. achtarovii · C. achtarovii subsp. sooana · C. acicularis · C. acicularis urvillei · C. acmophylla · C. acrolepis · C. acromaura · C. acuta · C. acutangula · C. acutifolia · C. acutiloba · C. adami · C. adamovicii · C. adeana · C. adjarica · C. adonidifolia · C. adpressa · C. adulterina · C. adusta · C. aegialophila · C. aegophica · C. aegyptiaca · C. aemiliae · C. aemilii · C. aemula · C. aemulans · C. aeolica · C. aeolica subsp. pandataria · C. aetaliae · C. aetolica · C. affinis · C. affinis affinis · C. affinis candida · C. affinis denudata · C. affinis lacerata · C. affinis laconiae · C. affinis pallidior · C. affinis subsp. balcanica · C. affinis subsp. candida · C. affinis subsp. chalcidicea · C. affinis subsp. denudata · C. affinis subsp. lacerata · C. affinis subsp. peloponesiaca · C. affinis subsp. tartarea · C. africana · C. aggregata · C. aggregatae · C. ahverdovii · C. aichingeriana · C. ainetensis · C. aintabica · C. aintansis · C. ajtayana · C. akamantis · C. aksamica · C. aladaghensis · C. aladoghensis · C. alaica · C. alata · C. alba · C. alba albanica · C. alba brunnea · C. alba deusta · C. alba euxina · C. alba maluqueri · C. alba princeps · C. alba subciliaris · C. alba subsp. albanica · C. alba subsp. brunnea · C. alba subsp. caliacrae · C. alba subsp. ciliata · C. alba subsp. costae · C. alba subsp. diomedea · C. alba subsp. epapposa · C. alba subsp. euxina · C. alba subsp. formanekii · C. alba subsp. heldreichii · C. alba subsp. ipecensis · C. alba subsp. latronum · C. alba subsp. leucomalla · C. alba subsp. macrocephala

Bibliography

• Bailey, L. H. 1949. Manual of cultivated plants, revised ed. (Bailey)
• CIBA-GEIGY, Basel, Switzerland. The CIBA-GEIGY Weed Tables (Weed TabCIBA)
• Davis, P. H., ed. 1965–1988. Flora of Turkey and the east Aegean islands. (F Turk)
• Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs. (CRC MedHerbs ed2)
• Encke, F. et al. 1984. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 13. Auflage. (Zander ed13)
• Garcia-Jacas, N., A. Susanna, V. Mozaffarian, and R. Ilarslan. 2000. The natural delimitation of Centaurea (Asteraceae: Cardueae): ITS sequence analysis of the Centaurea jacea group. Pl. Syst. Evol. 223: 185199.
• Gleason, H. A. & A. Cronquist. 1963. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. (Glea Cron)
• Hara, H. et al. 1978–1982. An enumeration of the flowering plants of Nepal. (L Nepal)
• Holm, L. et al. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds. (Atlas WWeed)
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• Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1934–1964. Flora SSSR. (F USSR)
• Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. (Hortus 3)
• Markle, G. M. et al., eds. 1998. Food and feed crops of the United States, ed. 2. (Food Feed Crops US)
• McGuffin, M. et al., eds. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2. (Herbs Commerce ed2)
• Moore, R. J. 1972. Distribution of native and introduced knapweeds (Centaurea) in Canada and the United States. Rhodora 74: 331346.
• Ochsmann, J. 2001. Knapweeds (Centaurea L. and some related genera) in North America. In: Ochsmann, J., Welcome to the Centaurea pages. (Centaurea Pages)
• Parsa, A. 1943–1952. Flore de l'Iran. (F IranPars)
• Radford, A. E. et al. 1964. Manual of the vascular flora of the Carolinas. (F Carolin)
• Radford, A. E. et al., eds. 1980–. Vascular flora of the southeastern United States. (F SE US)
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• Seed Regulatory and Testing Branch, Agricultural Marketing Service, U.S.D.A. 1999. State noxious-weed seed requirements recognized in the administration of the Federal Seed Act. (State Noxweed Seed)
• Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964–1980. Flora europaea. (F Eur)
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Notes

Contributors:

• Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed November 12, 2007. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 38 providers.
• Light, Kris. East Tennessee Wildflowers
• USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL (April 26, 2008)

Data Sources:

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 12, 2007:

• Jyväskylä University Museum - The Section of Natural Sciences, Vascular plant collection of Jyvaskyla University Museum
• Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Botanical Garden
• Oregon State University, Vascular Plant Collection
• UK National Biodiversity Network, Botanical Society of the British Isles - Vascular Plants Database
• University of Alabama Biodiversity and Systematics, Herbarium

Identifiers:

• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 36954
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13749289
• Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:56945-3
• Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: PDAST1Y050
• U.S.D.A. Plant Symbol: LECY
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 28382

Footnotes:

1. David J. Keil, Jörg Ochsmann "Centaurea". in Flora of North America Vol. 19, 20 and 21 Page 52, 57, 58, 67, 83, 84, 96, 171, 172, 176, 177, EFloras.org.