Family |
Asteraceae
Centaurea axillaris
Willd.
Centaurea axillaris Willd.
Syn. Cyanus triumfettii subsp. axillaris (Willd.) Štěpánek (Euro+Med)
Previously considered Centaurea triumfettii All. s.l. (= C. variegata Lam., C. axillaris Willd.)
(Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 3, Pl. CCLXXXV nº 4; 1983)
Life-form & habit: Rhizomatous perennial; stems generally short, 20–40 cm tall, usually monocéphalous, rarely bearing 2–3 capitula.
Leaves: Entire, lanceolate, strongly canescent, shortly or barely decurrent.
Inflorescence & flowers: Capitula 1–3 cm wide with flowers; involucre ca. 15 mm long.
Bracts: Ovate to lanceolate-obtuse, bordered by a dark brown-blackish margin fringed with numerous, close-set white teeth; the uppermost bract equal in length to the others and approximately the same size as the involucre body.
Flowers: Blue; marginal florets long and radiant.
Fruit: Brown achenes, striated, puberulent; pappus with an intermediate series about three times shorter than the outer one.
Phenology: Flowers from May to September depending on altitude.
Habitat & elevation: Rocky slopes and high-elevation habitats.
Lebanese distribution: Mm. Jisr-el-Hajar, Sir-ed-Denniyé, Cèdres de Barouk, ‘Aïn-el-Qabou, Sannine, south of Khan Sannine, Bcharré, Les Cèdres, Hasroun, Berkache, Hadeth-aj-Joubé; Me. Makmel, Qornet-es-Saouda, ‘Aïn-el-Qarn; Ve. ‘Aïnata, Yammouné–Dimane, Ouadi Fouara; A.L. Marj Yanta.
Syrian distribution: A.L. Tala‘at Moussa, Jabal Halimé, Madaya, Yabroud, Bloudane; J.D. Fontaine des Bédouins.
Native range: Albania, Bulgaria, Czechia-Slovakia, Germany, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Lebanon-Syria, NW. Balkan Pen., Romania, Sicilia, Türkey. (KEW, Euro+Med, GBIF)