CYANUS DEPRESSUS

Family and Genus:- See- COMPOSITAE/Subgen. CYANUS

Common Names:- None

Homotypic Synonyms:- Centaurea depressa

Meaning:- Cyanus (L) Azure, blue.

Depressus (L) Flattened downwards.

General description:- Medium to tall annual.

Stem:-

1) 20-60 cm, unwinged, with many erecto-patent branches from the base.

Leaves:-

1) Grey-tomentose.

a) lower, oblong, undivided, rarely lyrate-pinnatisect, obtuse, shortly petiolate.

b) upper oblong- or linear-lanceolate, entire, acute, spinulose-mucronulate.

Flowers:-

1) Heads, radiant, borne singly, stalked.

2) Involucres, ovoid to campanulate, 15-20 mm.

3) Phyllaries, bodies green, ovate (outer) to oblong (inner), glabrous, margins and

erect appendages silvery white to brown, scarious, fimbriae c. 2 mm.

4) Florets, 25-35; corollas of sterile the florets spreading, dark blue, 25-30 mm,

enlarged, those of fertile florets purple, c. 15 mm.

Fruit:-

1) Achene, brown, 4.5-6 mm, puberulent near the attachment scar, otherwise

glabrous.

2) Pappus, 6-8 mm.

Key features:-

1) Stems, 20-80 cm, erect, branched.

2) Lower leaves, oblong, obtuse.

3) Appendages, reddish-black.

4) Fimbriae, c. 2 mm.

5) Pappus, 6-8 mm.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Weed of cereal fields and olive groves. 100-1100 m

Distribution:- Limited distribution across the Mediterranean. On Crete known only

from the Katharo plain. Very rare. Discovered by (S.L.) in 2009.

Flowering time:- May-June.

Photos by:- Steve Lenton