CENTAUREA BENEDICTA

Family and Genus:- See- COMPOSITAE

Common Name:- Blessed thistle

Homotypic Synonyms:- Cnicus benedictus

Meaning:- Centaurea (Gr) Centaur, Centauros. The centaur Chiron was cured of a

hoof wound with this plant.

Benedicta (L) Blessed, healing.

General description:- Softly-hairy, short to medium annual.

Stem:-

1) 10-60 cm, arachnoid-villous, branched usually only at the base.

Leaves:-

1) Alternate, oblong in outline, light green with prominent white veins beneath.

2) Basal, up to 30 x 8 cm, petiolate, lobes, runcinate to pinnatifid.

3) Cauline, smaller, usually sinusoidal or sinuate in the wide proximal half, sessile

semi-amplexicaul.

4) Uppermost, ovate-lanceolate, spine-tipped.

Flowers:-

1) Capitula, yellow and pale green, 25-40 mm long, solitary.

2) Florets, small, all tubular, surrounded by a ruff of small upper leaves.

3) Bracts, variable, the outer spine-tipped, the inner with a stouter, pinnately-

divided, spine.

Fruit:-

1) Achenes, 6-8 x 2-2·5 mm, brown.

2) Pappus, yellow.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Sandy field margins, olive groves, vineyards, roadsides, open deciduous

wood- land. 0-1150 m.

Distribution:- Fairly widespread around the Mediterranean but not common. On

Crete known only from a few locations, mainly in the east.

Flowering time:- End of Mar to mid-June.

Photos by:- Steve Lenton