Centaurea cineraria

Centaurea cineraria
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Tribe: Cynareae
Genus: Centaurea
Species: C. cineraria
Binomial name
Centaurea cineraria
L.
Synonyms
  • Centaurea gymnocarpa[1]
  • Centaurea candidissima Lam.[2]
  • Acosta cineraria (L.) Holub[3]
  • Centaurea gymnocarpa var. gymnocarpa
  • Centaurea plumosa var. plumosa
  • Centaurea ucriae Lacaita
  • Centaurea acutifolia Schur
  • Centaurea cinerea Lam.
  • Centaurea plumosa E.Vilm.
  • Centaurea elegans Salisb.
  • Centaurea dealbata Moris ex Nyman
  • Centaurea cinerea subsp. cinerea
  • Centaurea cineraria var. cineraria

Centaurea cineraria, the velvet centaurea, is – like some other plants – also known as "dusty miller" and "silver dust". It is a small plant in the family Asteraceae and originates from the Island of Capraia in Italy, where it is called fiordaliso delle scogliere.[3]

The mature plants will grow from 15 cm to 60 cm (6inches to 24 inches). They prefer full sun, but will tolerate light shade, and also prefers average to rich well-drained soil.

Centaurea cineraria will produce small white or yellow flowers in summer, but these are usually trimmed because the plant is normally grown as foliage.

Depending on climate, it can be grown as either an annual or as a perennial.

Common varieties include: "Silver Dust", "Silver Lace" and "Cirrus". The image above the scientific classification is a plant of the "Silver Lace" variety.

References

  1. ↑ Euro+Med Plantbase lists Centaurea gymnocarpa as an accepted species, while the Global Compositae Checklist lists it as a synonym of Centaurea cinerea. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, Version 2014.1, states "C. gymnocarpa belongs to the ... "cineraria" group ... probably was once a single species, ... but as islands were formed, new species evolved on each island."
  2. ↑ Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) (1992-05-20). "Taxon: Centaurea cineraria L." (HTML). Taxonomy for Plants. USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program, National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
  3. 1 2 Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin-Dahlem. "Details for: Centaurea cineraria" (HTML). Euro+Med PlantBase. Freie Universität Berlin. Retrieved 2008-03-03.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/20/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.