Centaurea cyanus L.

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Centaurea cyanus

Photo: Mark Hyde
Vumba, c. 2kms SE of Leopard Rock Hotel

Centaurea cyanus

Photo: Mark Hyde
Vumba, c. 2kms SE of Leopard Rock Hotel

Centaurea cyanus

Photo: Mark Hyde
Vumba, c. 2kms SE of Leopard Rock Hotel

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Synonyms:
Common names: Bachelor's button (English) Cornflower (English)
Frequency:
Status: Introduced and very rarely naturalised
Description:
Annual herb with an erect wiry cottony stem to 90 cm tall, with many ascending branches. Lower leaves petiolate, lyrate-pinnatifid; upper leaves smaller, sessile, linear-lanceolate; all leaves greyish with cottony hairs. Heads 1.5-3 cm in diameter, solitary on main stem and branches. Involucre ovoid; phyllaries with appendages which are cut into spreading narrowly triangular teeth; those of the outer bracts silvery-white, those of the middle bracts brown. Marginal flowers large, bright blue; inner red-purple. Achenes silvery-grey, pubescent.
Notes:
Derivation of specific name: cyanus: blue, referring to the flowers
Habitat: In crack in concrete road.
Altitude range: (metres)
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution: Native to Europe and the Middle East; cultivated and escaping in other countries.
Zimbabwe distribution: E
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters: Display spot characters for this species
Literature:

Clapham, A.R., Tutin, T.G. & Moore, D.M. (1989). Flora of the British Isles. 3rd edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Page 487.


Other sources of information about Centaurea cyanus:

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Centaurea cyanus
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Centaurea cyanus
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Centaurea cyanus
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Centaurea cyanus
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Centaurea cyanus
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Centaurea cyanus
JSTOR Plant Science: Centaurea cyanus
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Centaurea cyanus
Plants of the World Online: Centaurea cyanus
Tropicos: Centaurea cyanus
Wikipedia: Centaurea cyanus


Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2002-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Zimbabwe: Species information: Centaurea cyanus.
https://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=228910, retrieved 29 March 2024

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