Family |
Asteraceae
Centaurea solstitialis
L.
Centaurea solstitialis L. subsp. _solstitialis
(Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 3, Pl. CCC nº 1; 1983)
Life-form & habit: Appressed-arachnoid, canescent annual, 30–100 cm tall. Stem erect, divaricately branched.
Leaves: Radical leaves deeply pinnatifid, with spaced nerves; lateral lobes toothed or entire, terminal lobe ovate-triangular. Cauline leaves inserted along winged stem ridges, as long as internodes, the uppermost reduced.
Inflorescence & flowers: Terminal, solitary, ovoid capitula, 1–1.5 cm long.
Bracts: Straw-colored, arachnoid; lower bracts ending in three short points, intermediates with a fine, slender central spine (equal to or longer than capitulum) and 2–3 pairs of spinules at the base.
Flowers: Yellow.
Fruit: Small, black achenes (2–3 mm long). Pappus with an intermediate series ~2× the achene body, and a very short innermost series.
Phenology: Flowers from April to June.
Habitat & elevation: Fields, roadsides, disturbed areas.
Lebanese distribution: Beirut (adventive), Tripoli, Bhamdoun, Col du Baïdar, Bteter, Qala‘at el-Fakhra, above Mrouj, Dimane, Qadicha gorge, Ehden, Col de Togra, Cheba‘a.
Syrian distribution: Lattaquié, Jeblé, ‘Aïn Haramiyé, Hanjour NE of Massiaf, Karatchok Dagh (E of Qamishli), Qasr el-Banat, ‘Aïn Delfi, Jaramana, Jdeidet Yabous, Soueida, between Qanouat and Soueida, Sa‘ssa.
Native range: Albania, Algeria, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Central European Russia, Corse, Cyprus, Czechia-Slovakia, East Aegean Is., East European Russia, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kriti, Krym, Kuwait, Lebanon-Syria, Morocco, Netherlands, North Caucasus, Northwest European Russia, Norway, NW. Balkan Pen., Oman, Poland, Romania, Sardegna, Saudi Arabia, Sicilia, Sinai, Spain, Switzerland, Tadzhikistan, Transcaucasus, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Türkey, Türkey-in-Europe, Ukraine, Uzbekistan. (KEW)
Introduced into: Alberta, Arizona, Baltic States, Bolivia, California, Cape Provinces, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Florida, Great Britain, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Kirgizstan, Manitoba, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mexico Northwest, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New South Wales, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Provinces, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Primorye, Rhode I., Saskatchewan, South Australia, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tasmania, Tennessee, Texas, Uruguay, Utah, Victoria, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Western Australia, Wisconsin, Wyoming. (KEW)