Centaurea melitensis |
Centaurea macrocephala |
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Maltese starthistle, tocalote |
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Habit | Plants annual, 1–10 dm. | |
Stems | branched above, sparsely tomentose; gland-dotted. |
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Leaves | villous, thinly to densely tomentose; gland-dotted; basal and lower cauline blades oblong to oblanceolate, 2–15 cm; margins dentate, pinnately lobed or entire, petiolate to tapering at base; upper cauline blades linear to oblong, 1–5 cm, bases decurrent; margins dentate to entire. |
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Inflorescences | 1–few in corymb-like arrays or heads solitary. |
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Involucres | ovoid, 8–15 mm. |
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Florets | yellow, sterile florets ? fertile florets, fertile florets 10–14 mm. |
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Phyllaries | outer ovate, bases spiny-fringed; surfaces tomentose to glabrate; central spines slender, 5–10 mm, often purple; inner entire; acute or spine-tipped. |
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Fruits | 2.5–3 mm, white or light brown, finely hairy, pappi of unequal, white bristles, 1.5–3 mm. |
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Heads | disciform. |
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2n | =24. |
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Centaurea melitensis |
Centaurea macrocephala |
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Distribution | ||
Discussion | Disturbed areas, roadsides, open woods, fields, pastures. Flowering May–Jul. 0–700 m. CR, ECas, Est, Sisk, WV. CA, ID, NV, WA; scattered in North America; Africa, Asia, Europe. Exotic. |
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Source | Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 214 Bridget Chipman |
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Sibling taxa | ||
Web links |
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