Centaurium littorale

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

Interesting Facts

Common Names

Description

Family Gentianaceae

Herbs [shrubs or small trees ], annual , biennial, or perennial . Stems ascending , erect , or twining . Leaves opposite, less often alternate or whorled , simple , base connate ; stipules absent. Inflorescences simple or complex cymes, sometimes reduced to sessile clusters , often in a thyrse or 1-flowered. Flowers bisexual , rarely unisexual , 4 or 5 (or 6-8) [-12]-merous. Calyx tubular , obconic, campanulate , or rotate, lobes joined at least basally. Corolla tubular, obconic, salverform , funnelform , campanulate, or rotate, rarely with basal spurs; lobes overlapping to right or rarely valvate in bud; plicae (extensions of the corolla tube between the lobes) present or absent. Stamens inserted on corolla tube or occasionally at sinus between corolla lobes, alternate with lobes; anthers basifixed or dorsifixed , 2-locular. Nectaries absent or attached to ovary base or corolla. Ovary usually 1-locular at least apically, rarely 2-locular due to intrusion of a lamellate placenta into locular cavity . Fruit a 2-valved capsule, rarely a berry. Seeds many or rarely few, small; endosperm abundant [scant in saprophytic genera].

About 80 genera and 700 species: worldwide; 20 genera and 419 species in China, of which two genera and 251 species are endemic.[1]

Genus Centaurium

Annuals . Stems erect , obscurely 4angled. Leaves opposite. Cymes pseudodichotomous , sometimes spicate . Flowers [4 or] 5merous. Calyx lobed nearly to base . Corolla salverform , lobes shorter than tube . Stamens inserted at throat of corolla tube; filaments filiform , erect at first, helically coiled later; anthers dehiscing longitudinally. Ovary partly 2-locular. Style linear ; stigma lobes orbicular . Capsules 2valved, many seeded. Seed coat alveolate .

40-50 species: worldwide except subsaharan Africa; two species in China.[2]

Habitat

Typically found in the intertidal zone at the water's edge at a mean distance from sea level of 55 meters (180 feet).[3]

Biome: Coastal.

Taxonomy

Notes

Publishing author : Gilmour Publication : Bull . Misc. Inform. Kew 1937, 498

Basionym author: (Turner)

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Last scrutiny: 17-Oct-2001

Similar Species

Members of the genus Centaurium

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 30 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

C. arizonicum (Arizona Centaury) · C. beyrichii (Mountain Pink) · C. beyrichii var. beyrichii (Quinineweed) · C. breviflorum (Shortflower Centaury) · C. calycosum (Arizona Centaury) · C. calycosum var. calycosum (Arizona Centaury) · C. confertum (Centaury) · C. davyi (Davy's Centaury) · C. erythraea (Bitter Herb) · C. erythraea erythraea (European Centaury) · C. erythraea var. capitatum (European Centaury) · C. exaltatum (Desert Centaury) · C. glanduliferum (Sticky Centaury) · C. littorale (Seaside Centaury) · C. littorale var. glomeratum (Seaside Centaury) · C. maryannum (Gypsum Centaury) · C. muehlenbergii (June Centaury) · C. multicaule (Many-Stem Centaury) · C. namophilum (Spring Loving Centaury) · C. nudicaule (Santa Catalina Centaurium) · C. pulchellum (Branched Centaury) · C. quitense (Britton's Centaury) · C. sebaeoides (Awiwi) · C. spicatum (Spiked Centaury) · C. tenuiflorum (Slender Centaury) · C. texense (Lady Bird's Centaury) · C. trichanthum (Alkali Centaury) · C. venustum (Canchalagua Centaury) · C. venustum venustum (Canchalagua) · C. venustum subsp. abramsii (Charming Centaury)

More Info

• Search for Pictures: images.google.com
• Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
• Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
• Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books

Further Reading

• List of rare, threatened and endemic plants in Europe (1982 edition) Council of Europe url p. 32.
• Ho Ting-nung; Liu Shang-wu, & Wu Ching-ju in Ho Ting-nung, ed. 1988. Gentianaceae. Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 62: 1-411.

Notes

Contributors

• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 10, 2012.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 12, 2007:

• Australian National Herbarium
• , Australian National Herbarium
• Biologiezentrum der Oberoesterreichischen Landesmuseen, Biologiezentrum Linz
• Bundesamt für Naturschutz / Zentralstelle für Phytodiversität Deutschland, Bundesamt fuer Naturschutz / Zentralstelle fuer Phytodiversitaet Deutschland
• Conservatoire botanique national du Bassin parisien, Conservatoire botanique national du Bassin parisien
• European Environment Agency, EUNIS
• Institute of Nature Conservation PAS, National System of Proetcted Areas
• Jyväskylä University Museum - The Section of Natural Sciences, Vascular plant collection of Jyvaskyla University Museum
• Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Vascular Plant Herbarium, Oslo
• Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Vascular Plants, Field notes, Oslo
• The Danish Biodiversity Information Facility, Botany registration database by Danish botanists
• The Swedish Museum of Natural History
• , Herbarium of Oskarshamn
• The Swedish Museum of Natural History
• , Lund Botanical Museum
• The Swedish Museum of Natural History
• , Plants
• UK National Biodiversity Network, Botanical Society of the British Isles - Vascular Plants Database
• UK National Biodiversity Network, Environment and Heritage Service - EHS Species Datasets

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2653251
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-30046
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 2113036
• Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:366670-1
• International Plant Names Index (IPNI) ID: 366670-1
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 447145

Footnotes

1. Ting-nung Ho & James S. Pringle "Gentianaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 16 Page 1. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
2. "Centaurium". in Flora of China Vol. 16 Page 4. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
3. Standard Deviation = 136.110 based on 1,633 observations. Terrestrial altitude and ocean depth information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]

©2004-2012 David Stang. All rights reserved.