Centaurea ragusina

• Interesting Facts
• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Interesting Facts

Common Names

Description

Family Compositae

The largest family of flowering plants , the Compositae (Asteraceae), comprising about 1,100 genera and more than 20,000 species and characterized by many small flowers arranged in a head looking like a single flower and subtended by an involucre of bracts. A head may consist of both ray flowers and disk flowers, as in the sunflower, of disk flowers only, as in the burdock, or of ray flowers only, as in the dandelion.

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]

Physical Description

Biology

Growth

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun .

Moisture: Drought Tolerance: High

Taxonomy

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Comment: Data Providers: SANBI, Govaerts World Compositae Checklist A-G, IPNI, LCR Editor, Tropicos, Euro+Med. GCC LSID: urn :lsid:compositae.org:names:F3FDF2DB-E110-48DE-BC69-EFD0C7660178

Last scrutiny: 12-Aug-09

Similar Species

Members of the genus Centaurea

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 82 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

C. akamantis (Akamas Centaury) · C. alpestris (Greater Centaury) · C. americana (American Basketflower) · C. americana 'Aloha' (American Knapweed) · C. americana 'Jolly Joker' (American Knapweed) · C. aspera (Rough Star-Thistle) · C. atropurpurea (Centaurea) · C. bella (Knapweed) · C. benoistii (Maroon Cornflower) · C. biebersteinii (Ballast Waif Centaurea Biebersteinii) · C. bovina (Pasture Knapweed) · C. cachinalensis (Flor Del Minero) · C. calcitrapa (Big-Head Purple Starthistle) · C. calcitrapoides (Smallhead Star-Thistle) · C. cineraria (Dusty Miller) · C. cineraria 'Colchester White' (Dusty Miller) · C. crupina (Crupina) · C. cyanoides 'Blue Carpet' (Cornflower) · C. cyanus (Bachelor's Button) · C. cyanus nana 'Jubilee Gem' (Bachelors Button) · C. cyanus 'Black Ball' (Bachelors Button) · C. cyanus 'Black Boy' (Bachelors Button) · C. cyanus 'Black Gem' (Bachelors Button) · C. cyanus 'Black Magic' (Bachelors Button) · C. cyanus 'Blue Boy' (Bachelors Button) · C. cyanus 'Blue Diadem' (Bachelors Button) · C. cyanus 'Classic Blue' (Bachelors Button) · C. cyanus 'Dwarf Blue Midget' (Bachelors Button) · C. cyanus 'Frosted Queen Mix' (Bachelors Button) · C. cyanus 'Frosty Mix' (Bachelors Button) · C. cyanus 'Mauve Queen' (Bachelors Button) · C. cyanus 'Polka Dot Mix' (Bachelors Button) · C. dealbata (Knapweed Centaurea Dealbata) · C. dealbata 'Rosea' (Knapweed) · C. debeauxii (Meadow Knapweed) · C. debeauxii thuillieri (Meadow Knapweed) · C. debeauxii subsp. thuillieri (Meadow Knapweed) · C. depressa (Centaurea) · C. diffusa (Diffuse Knapweed) · C. diluta (North African Knapweed) · C. eriophora (Sand-Heath) · C. gymnocarpa (Velvet Centaurea) · C. hypoleuca DC. 'John Coutts' (Knapweed) · C. iberica (Iberian Knapweed) · C. jacea (Brown Knapweed) · C. jacea x nigra (Hybrid Knapweed Centaurea Jacea X Nigra) · C. macrocephala (Armenian Basketflower) · C. melitensis (Cockspur Thistle) · C. moncktonii (Meadow Knapweed) · C. montana (Mountain Bluet) · C. montana 'Alba' (Mountain Bluet) · C. montana 'Amethyst in Snow' (Mountain Bluet) · C. montana 'Dot Purple' (Mountain Bluet) · C. montana 'Gold Bullion' (Batchelor's Button) · C. moschata 'Dairy Maid' (Sweet Sultan) · C. moschata 'Imperialis' (Sweet Sultan) · C. moschata 'The Bride' (Sweet Sultan) · C. nigra (Black Knapweed) · C. nigrescens (Short-Fringe Starthistle) · C. orientalis (Centaurea) · C. ovina (Lilac Knapweed) · C. paniculata (Jersey Knapweed) · C. phrygia (Scandinavian Starthistle) · C. pindicola (Centaurea) · C. pulcherrima (Pink Bachelors Button) · C. 'Pulchra Major' (Bachelor's Button) · C. ragusina (Dubrovacka Zecina) · C. rothrockii (Basket Flower) · C. scabiosa (Great Starthistle) · C. solstitialis (Barnaby Star-Thistle) · C. solstitialis solstitialis (St. Barnaby's Thistle) · C. stoebe (Spotted Knapweed) · C. sulphurea (Sicilian Starthistle) · C. thuillieri (Meadow Knapweed) · C. transalpina (Alpine Knapweed) · C. trichocephala (Feather-Head Knapweed) · C. triumfetti (Squarrose Knapweed Centaurea Triumfetti) · C. triumfettii (Spreading Thistle) · C. uniflora (Single-Flower Knapweed) · C. uniflora nervosa (Singleflower Knapweed) · C. xpratensis (Meadow Knapweed) · C.'Nigra' (Bachelor Buttons)

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Further Reading

• A dictionary of modern gardening / by George William Johnson. .. with one hundred and eighty wood cuts. Edited, with numerous additions, by David Landreth. Philadelphia: Lea and Blanchard, 1847. url p. 137.
• A dictionary of modern gardening. Philadelphia, Lea and Blanchard, 1847. url p. 137.
• A history of gardening in England, London, J. Murray, 1910. url .
• A practical guide to garden plants, containing descriptions of the hardiest and most beautiful annuals and biennials, hardy herbaceous and bulbous perennials, hardy water and bog plants, flowering and ornamental trees and shrubs, conife London;Longmans, Green, 1901. url p. 551.
• Alpine flowers for English gardens / by W. Robinson. London: Murray, 1879. url p. 371.
• Cassell's popular gardening. London, Cassell & company, limited[1884-86] url .
• Curtis's botanical magazine. 1-42 1817 London; New York [etc.]: Academic Press [etc.] url p. 80.
• Gardening for beginners; a handbook to the garden, by E.T. Cook. [London]"Country Life" [etc., 1914] url .
• Gardening in California, San Francisco, A. M. Robertson, 1914. url p. 236.
• Hand-list of herbaceous plants cultivated in the Royal Botanic Gardens. London, Printed for H. M. Stationery Off. by Darling, 1902. url p. 267.
• Hardy flowers. Descriptions of upwards of thirteen hundred of the most ornamental species, with directions for their arrangement, culture, etc.. .. By W. Robinson. London, Macmillan, 1878. url p. 235, p. 87.
• Inventory of seeds and plants imported / U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry. Washington, D.C.: G.P.O., 1914-1924. url p. 52, p. 7, p. 82.
• Lawns and gardens. How to plant and beautify the home lot, the pleasure ground and garden, by N. Jönsson-Rose. With numerous plans and illustrations by the author. New York: G. P. Putnam, 1897. url p. 130.
• List of rare, threatened and endemic plants in Europe (1982 edition) Council of Europe url p. 321.
• Nicholson, G. The illustrated dictionary of gardening: a practical and scientific encyclopædia of horticulture for gardeners and botanists /edited by George Nicholson; assisted by J.W.H. Trail. .. and J. Garrett. .. 1 1884-1888 London: L.U. Gill, [1884]-88. url p. 167, p. 391, p. 413, p. 418, p. 434.
• Preliminary draft list of plant species for inclusion in a 'Responsibility List' of European plants WCMC url p. 115.
• Taxonomic literature: a selective guide to botanical publications and collections with dates, commentaries and types (TL2) Utrecht: Bohn, Scheltema & Holkema, 1976-1988. url p. 228.
• The American gardener's calendar; adapted to the climates and seasons of the United States. Containing a complete account of all the work necessary to be done. .. for every month in the year; with ample practical directions for performing the same. .. By Bernard M'Mahon. Philadelphia, Printed by B. Graves, no. 40, North Fourth-Street, for the author, 1806. url p. 613.
• The Annals and magazine of natural history; zoology, botany, and geology being a continuation of the Annals combined with Loudon and Charlesworth's Magazine of Natural History. London, Taylor and Francis, Ltd. url p. 188, p. 188, p. 39, p. 39.
• The Book of gardening; a handbook of horticulture. London, C. Scribner's Sons, 1900. url .
• The California horticulturist and floral magazine. San Francisco, Calif.: F.A. Miller & Co., 1870- url p. 275.
• The Country gentleman's magazine. London, S. Marshall & Co. url p. 463.
• The English flower garden and home grounds: design and arrangement shown by existing examples of gardens in Great Britain and Ireland, followed by a description of the plants, shrubs, and trees for the open-air garden and their culture / by W. Robinson. London: J. Murray, 1911. url p. 486.
• The English rock-garden, by Reginald Farrer. London, Jack, 1919. url p. 213.
• The Floral world and garden guide. London, Groombridge and Sons, 1858-1880. url p. 127, p. 153, p. 186, p. 188, p. 197, p. 199, p. 201, p. 31, p. 376, p. 55, p. 67, p. 71, p. 9.
• The Garden: an illustrated weekly journal of gardening in all its branches. London: [s.n., url , , , , p. 106, p. 110, p. 115, p. 12, p. 137, p. 143, p. 150, p. 152, p. 154, p. 157, p. 159, p. 172, p. 172, p. 179, p. 181, p. 181, p. 187, p. 194, p. 201, p. 228, p. 234, p. 240, p. 240, p. 252, p. 277, p. 283, p. 290, p. 30, p. 308, p. 35, p. 352, p. 394, p. 406, p. 406, p. 449, p. 451, p. 47, p. 476, p. 518, p. 54, p. 541, p. 66, p. 68, p. 82.
• The Gardener's monthly and horticulturist. Philadelphia, Pa.: Charles H. Marot, 1876-1888. url , , p. 250.
• The Gardener. Edinburgh;W. Blackwood and sons, 1867-1882. url p. 34, p. 422, p. 423, p. 514, p. 517, p. 97.
• The Gardeners' chronicle and agricultural gazette. London: published for the proprietors, 1844-1873. url p. 1023, p. 1070, p. 1073, p. 1092, p. 1128, p. 1137, p. 1139, p. 1140, p. 1201, p. 1235, p. 1265, p. 1267, p. 1381, p. 14, p. 1589, p. 163, p. 194, p. 226, p. 230, p. 261, p. 262, p. 263, p. 266, p. 298, p. 301, p. 334, p. 366, p. 371, p. 446, p. 474, p. 522, p. 550, p. 574, p. 631, p. 678, p. 684, p. 687, p. 701, p. 711, p. 725, p. 737, p. 747, p. 748, p. 927, p. 998, p. 999.
• The Gardeners' chronicle: a weekly illustrated journal of horticulture and allied subjects. London: [Gardeners Chronicle], 1874-1955. url , , p. 111, p. 132, p. 14, p. 168, p. 194, p. 197, p. 206, p. 223, p. 231, p. 233, p. 269, p. 271, p. 273, p. 281, p. 284, p. 3, p. 334, p. 339, p. 402, p. 423, p. 426, p. 431, p. 433, p. 455, p. 463, p. 487, p. 487, p. 534, p. 548, p. 551, p. 551, p. 555, p. 594, p. 604, p. 615, p. 639, p. 643, p. 679, p. 682, p. 698, p. 706, p. 709, p. 711, p. 716, p. 738, p. 74, p. 745, p. 764, p. 771, p. 774, p. 782.
• The Illustrated dictionary of gardening: a practical and scientific encyclopaedia of horticulture for gardeners and botanists / edited by George Nicholson. ..; assisted by J.W.H. Trail. .. and J. Garrett. ... London: L. Upcott Gill; 1887-1889. url p. 166, p. 167, p. 370, p. 413, p. 434.
• The Journal of horticulture, cottage gardener and country gentlemen. London: George W. Johnson and Robert Hogg, 1861-1877. url , , , , p. 103, p. 125, p. 126, p. 130, p. 154, p. 16, p. 163, p. 164, p. 166, p. 167, p. 184, p. 214, p. 216, p. 222, p. 228, p. 228, p. 229, p. 246, p. 246, p. 260, p. 268, p. 268, p. 269, p. 272, p. 272, p. 293, p. 293, p. 294, p. 330, p. 330, p. 335, p. 372, p. 409, p. 445, p. 446, p. 448, p. 451, p. 452, p. 463, p. 488, p. 488, p. 51, p. 515, p. 515, p. 72, p. 80, p. 9, p. 95.
• The florist and pomologist. London: "Journal of Horticulture" Office, 1863-1879. url p. 132.
• The florist cultivator, or, Plain directions for the management of the principal florist flowers, shrubs, etc. etc.: adapted to the flower-garden, shrubbery, and greenhouse: with select lists of the finest roses, geraniums, carnations, pinks, auriculas, polyanthuses, tulips, dahlias, heartsease, &c &c.. .. / by Thomas Willats. London: J. Ridgeway, 1836. url p. 73.
• The garden... London, 1872- url , p. 137, p. 250, p. 277, p. 352.
• The parks, promenades, & gardens of Paris, described and considered in relation to the wants of our own cities, and the public and private gardens. London, J. Murray.1869. url .
• The subtropical garden, or, Beauty of form in the flower garden / by W. Robinson London: J. Murray, 1879 url p. 113.
• The subtropical garden: or, Beauty of form in the flower garden / by W. Robinson. London: J. Murray, 1891. url p. 113.
• The unheated greenhouse, by K. L. Davidson. [London]"Country life, " ltd. [etc.]1907. url p. 242, p. 48.
• Tilton's journal of horticulture and florist's companion. Boston: J.E. Tilton and Co., 1869-1871. url , , p. 184, p. 316.
• W. Curtis (ed.) The Botanical magazine, or, Flower-garden displayed. .. /by William Curtis. 14 1800 [S.l.: s.n.], 1790-1800; url .
• 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.
• Moore, R. J. 1972. Distribution of native and introduced knapweeds (Centaurea) in Canada and the United States. Rhodora 74: 331346.
• Roché, B. F. and C. T. Roché. 1991. Identification, introduction, distribution, ecology, and economics of Centaurea species. In: L. F. James et al., eds. 1991. Noxious Range Weeds. Boulder, San Francisco, and Oxford. Pp. 274291.
• Wagenitz, G. 1955. Pollenmorphologie und Systematik in der Gattung Centaurea L. s.l. Flora 142: 213279.

Notes

Contributors

• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed March 27, 2012.

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 5829282
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Ast-22213
• Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:191405-1
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 987122

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. [back]

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