Centaurea

Marsh knapweed (Centaurea scabiosa )

The Knapweed (Centaurea ) constitute a genus in the subfamily Carduoideae within the sunflower family ( Asteraceae). The botanical name comes from the Centaurs (Centaurea ) Chiron, with the Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus) is said to have healed a wound at the foot of the hero Achilles. The genus includes about 500 species and is distributed mainly in Europe, the Mediterranean and the Near East. Only a few species are originally from America.

Description

Centaurea species are one-, two - or mostly herbaceous perennial plants, reaching heights of growth from 20 to 300 cm depending on the type. The change-constant leaves are sometimes undivided, however, often pinnately lobed.

In little head shaped inflorescences sit ten to many flowers. The imbricated Hüllblättchen often have a membranous margin, with species-specific remote appendages. The chaff bristly leaves are slashed. The Carduoideae are, in contrast to the other sub- families, only tubular flowers available. In many species, the rand union tubular flowers are zygomorphic and slightly enlarged and sterile. As fruits achenes are formed in which the pappus is kurzborstig or missing.

System

For Centaurea L., there are some synonyms: Acosta Adanson, Cnicus L., Grossheimia Sosnovsky & Takhtajan, Jacea Miller, Leucacantha Nieuwland & Lunell.

More recently, the genera Cheirolophus Cass., Crocodylium Hill, cyanus Mill, Phalachrena Ilyin, Psephellus Cass were. and rhaponticoides Vaill. separated from Centaurea. In the species concerned, the new names are listed in the following list of species provisionally as synonyms.

Most commonly found in Central Europe in the nature are the cornflower ( Centaurea cyanus), which, however, declined sharply in recent years, and the meadow knapweed (Centaurea jacea ); regional differences are also Marsh knapweed (Centaurea scabiosa ), Black Knapweed (Centaurea nigra), Phrygian knapweed (Centaurea phrygia ) and other species common.

The genus knapweed (Centaurea ) includes about 260 species ( selection):

  • Centaurea aegialophila Wagenitz, Syn Crocodylium creticum ( Boiss. & Heldr. ) N. García & Susanna
  • American knapweed (Centaurea americana Nutt. )
  • Centaurea L. argentea, with three subspecies.
  • Centaurea aspera L., with several subspecies.
  • Delicate silver knapweed (Centaurea bella Trautv. , Syn Psephellus bellus ( Trautv. ) Wagenitz )
  • Blessed thistle (Centaurea benedicta (L.) L., Syn Cnicus benedictus L.)
  • Centaurea bovina Velen.
  • Star knapweed (Centaurea L. calcitrapa )
  • Centaurea baldaccii sword ex soon. , Syn cyanus baldaccii ( Bald. ) Holub, is only found on Crete.
  • Goldlackblättrige knapweed (Centaurea cheiranthifolia Willd., Syn cyanus cheiranthifolius ( Willd.) Soják )
  • Centaurea cineraria L.
  • Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus L., Syn cyanus segetum Hill )
  • White Knapweed (Centaurea dealbata Willd., Syn Psephellus dealbatus ( Willd.) K. Koch )
  • Centaurea depressa M. Bieb. , Syn cyanus depressus (M. Bieb. ) Soják
  • Knapweed (Centaurea diffusa Lam. )
  • Centaurea diluta Aiton
  • Centaurea L. eriophora
  • Centaurea hyalolepis Boiss.
  • Green White Knapweed (Centaurea hypoleuca DC., Syn Psephellus hypoleucus ( DC.) Boiss. )
  • Spanish knapweed (Centaurea iberica Trev. Ex Sprengel )
  • Centaurea idaea Boiss. & Heldr. , Is only found on Crete.
  • Meadow knapweed (Centaurea jacea L. ) with numerous subspecies.
  • Centaurea lancifolia Sieber ex Sprengel
  • Giant Knapweed (Centaurea macrocephala Puschk. Ex Willd. )
  • Malta Knapweed (Centaurea melitensis L.)
  • Mountain Knapweed (Centaurea montana L., Syn cyanus montanus (L.) Hill )
  • Feathery knapweed (Centaurea nervosa Willd. )
  • Black Knapweed (Centaurea nigra L.)
  • Dusky knapweed (Centaurea nigrescens Willd. ), With numerous subspecies.
  • Centaurea ornata Willd.
  • Rispige knapweed (Centaurea paniculata L.), with several subspecies.
  • Phrygian knapweed (Centaurea phrygia L.), with numerous subspecies.
  • Centaurea poculatoris Greuter, is only found on Crete.
  • Wig Knapweed (Centaurea pseudophrygia CA Meyer, syn. Centaurea phrygia L. subsp. Pseudophrygia (CA Mey. ) Gugler )
  • Silver knapweed (Centaurea pulcherrima Willd., Syn Psephellus pulcherrimus ( Willd.) Wagenitz ), occurs only in Asia Minor.
  • Dwarf knapweed (Centaurea pumilio L., Syn Crocodylium pumilio (L.) N. García & Susanna )
  • Ragusa Knapweed (Centaurea ragusina L.)
  • Radish -like knapweed (Centaurea raphanina Sm )
  • Centaurea redempta Heldr. , With two subspecies.
  • Centaurea resupinata Coss. , With numerous subspecies.
  • Roth Rocks knapweed (Centaurea rothrockii Greenm. )
  • Split knapweed (Centaurea Salonitana Vis. )
  • Marsh knapweed (Centaurea scabiosa L.), with numerous subspecies.
  • Centaurea L. seridis, with several subspecies.
  • Solstice Knapweed (Centaurea solstitialis L.)
  • Ball head knapweed (Centaurea L. sphaerocephala )
  • Centaurea spinosa L.
  • Centaurea spruneri Boiss. & Heldr.
  • Schmalschuppige knapweed (Centaurea stenolepis A. Kerner, syn. Centaurea phrygia L. subsp. Stenolepis (A. Kerner ) Gugler )
  • Panicles Knapweed (Centaurea stoebe L., syn. C. maculosa Lam )
  • Sicilian Star knapweed (Centaurea sulphurea Willd. )
  • Centaurea trichocephala Bieb. ex Willd.
  • Felt knapweed (Centaurea triumfettii All. , Syn cyanus triumfettii ( All. ) Á. Löve & D. Löve )
  • Single-headed knapweed (Centaurea uniflora Turra )
  • Centaurea urvillei DC.
  • Centaurea virgata Lam.
  • Centaurea wagenitzii Hub. -Mor. , Occurs only in Asia Minor.

Pictures

Giant Knapweed (Centaurea macrocephala )

Mountain Knapweed (Centaurea montana)

Black Knapweed (Centaurea nigra)

Marsh knapweed (Centaurea scabiosa )

Swell

  • David J. Keil, Jörg Ochsmann: Centaurea. In: Flora of North America Editorial Committee ( eds.): Flora of North America North of Mexico. Volume 19: Magnoliophyta: unranked, part 6: Asteraceae, part 1 ( Mutisieae - Anthemideae ), Oxford University Press, New York / Oxford et al 2006, ISBN 0-19-530563-9, p 177, online ( engl. ).
  • Josef Dostal: Centaurea L. In TG Tutin, VH Heywood, NA Burges, DM Moore, DH Valentine, SM Walters, DA Webb ( eds.): Flora Europaea. Volume 4: Plantaginaceae to Compositae ( and Rubiaceae ), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1976, ISBN 0-521-08717-1, pp. 254-301 ( limited preview on Google Book Search ).
  • Werner Greuter, Eckhard von Raab - Straube ( Eds.): Med - Checklist. A critical inventory of vascular plants of the circum - mediterranean countries. Vol 2 ( Dicotyledones: Compositae). Organization for the Phyto - Taxonomic Investigation of the Mediterranean Area ( OPTIMA ), Geneva 2008, ISBN 978-2-8279-0011-4, pp. 81-152.
  • Werner Greuter: Compositae (per parte majore ): Centaurea. In: Werner Greuter, Eckhard von Raab - Straube ( Eds.): Compositae. Euro Med Plant Base - the information resource for Euro - Mediterranean plant diversity. Berlin 2006-2009.
Pappus (flower structure)
172367
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