Centaurea montana

Mountain Knapweed (Centaurea montana)

The mountain knapweed (Centaurea montana ) is a plant of the genus Centaurea (Centaurea ) in the subfamily Carduoideae from the sunflower family ( Asteraceae).

Description

The perennial herbaceous plant reaches heights of growth from 20 to 50 inches and usually has a single crown stem. The lanceolate to ovate leaves are usually entire, and sessile, decurrent on the stem. The dark green upper leaf surface projecting short-haired and slightly rough. Young leaves are also often provided with sparse pubescence spinnwebiger.

The green bracts have black appendages and are on both sides schwarzfransig. The inner petals are red with blue, radiating florets.

Bloom time is from May to August.

Occurrence

The mountain knapweed is found in the mountains of central and southern Europe between a height of 500 and 2200 meters. It occurs very rarely in northern Germany and eastern Bavaria, Germany in the rest of it is moderately distributed far. In Austria, often in the upper montane to subalpine altitudinal zone in the provinces, Upper, Lower Austria, Styria, Carinthia, Salzburg, Tyrol and Vorarlberg.

As the site Hochstaudenfluren, fat and fresh meadows, small woods are preferred.

System

The mountain knapweed has recently been associated with the cornflower ( Centaurea cyanus) and the felt Knapweed (Centaurea triumfettii ) of the genus cyanus.