Interesting Facts
Common Names
Common Names in English:
Lady Bird's Centaury, Lady Birds Centaury, Texas Centaury, Texas Centuary-Plant
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]
Physical Description
Habit: Forb/herb
Flowers: Bloom Period: March, April, May, June, July, August. • Flower Color: pink
Size/Age/Growth
Size: under 6" tall.
Biology
Reproduction
Duration: Annual
Growth
Culture: Space 3-6" apart.
Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun .
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Plantae
()
- Haeckel, 1866
- Plants
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
()
- Cavalier-Smith, 1981
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
()
- Sinnott, 1935 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Vascular Plants
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
()
- Infraphylum:
Radiatopses
()
- Kenrick & Crane, 1997
- Class:
Spermatopsida
()
- Brongniart, 1843
- Subclass:
Asteridae
()
- Takhtajan, 1967
- Superorder:
Gentiananae
()
- Thorne Ex Reveal, 1992
- Order:
Gentianales
()
- Lindley, 1833
- Family:
Gentianaceae
()
- A.L. de Jussieu, 1789, nom. cons.
- gentianes, gentians
- Tribe:
Chironieae
()
- Genus:
Centaurium
()
- J. Hill, 1756
- Centaury
- Specific epithet:
texense
- Fernald
- Botanical name: - Centaurium texense Fernald
- Specific epithet:
texense
- Fernald
- Genus:
Centaurium
(
- Tribe:
Chironieae
(
- Family:
Gentianaceae
(
- Order:
Gentianales
(
- Superorder:
Gentiananae
(
- Subclass:
Asteridae
(
- Class:
Spermatopsida
(
- Infraphylum:
Radiatopses
(
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
(
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
(
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
(
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
Synonyms
Erythraea texensis Griseb.
Notes
Publishing author : Fernald Publication : Rhodora x . 54 (1908)
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
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- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Further Reading
- An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British possessions: from Newfoundland to the parallel of the southern boundary of Virginia and from the Atlantic Ocean westward to the 102nd meridian / by Nathaniel Lord Britton and Hon. Addison Brown. New York: Scribner, 1913. url p. 3.
- Bulletin / Chicago Natural History Museum. [Chicago, Ill.]: The Museum, [1944-1966] url p. 8.
- Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 19 1915 Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1890- url p. 499.
- Flora of New Mexico / by E.O. Wooton and Paul C. Standley. Washington: G.P.O., 1915. url p. 499.
- Gray's new manual of botany: a handbook of the flowering plants and ferns of the central and northeastern United States and adjacent Canada / Asa Gray; rearranged and extensively revised by Benjamin Lincoln Robinson and Merritt Lyndon Fernald. New York: American Book Company, c1908. url p. 656.
- Phytologia. Bronx Park, New York, H.A. Gleason and H.N. Moldenke, url p. 259, p. 260, p. 261, p. 263, p. 265, p. 27, p. 272, p. 274, p. 28.
- Studies of the vegetation of Missouri. .. / By Julian A. Steyermark. 9 1940 [Chicago, 1940- url p. 373.
- World Plant Conservation Bibliography WCMC, Royal Botanic Gardens url p. 573.
- 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 19, 2007:
- Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Botanical Garden
- USDA PLANTS, USDA PLANTS Database
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2653245
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-30038
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13743568
- Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:366733-1
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 30038
- International Plant Names Index (IPNI) ID: 51351-2
- Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: PDGEN020F0
- U.S.D.A. Plant Symbol: CETE2
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 29481
Footnotes
- 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]
- "Centaurium". in Flora of China Vol. 16 Page 4. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
