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St. Barnaby's thistle, yellow starthistle

Maltese starthistle, tocalote

Habit Plants annual or biennial, 1–10 dm. Plants annual, 1–10 dm.
Stems

1–many, branched from bases, tomentose.

branched above, sparsely tomentose;

gland-dotted.

Leaves

tomentose and scabrous to bristly, bases decurrent;

basal and lower cauline blades often absent at maturity, 5–15 cm, pinnately dissected or lobed;

petioles winged; upper cauline blades oblong to linear, 1–10 cm;

margins entire or slightly dentate, sessile.

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.

Inflorescences

cyme-like clusters or heads solitary.

1–few in corymb-like arrays or heads solitary.

Involucres

ovoid, 10–15 mm.

ovoid, 8–15 mm.

Florets

yellow, sterile florets ? fertile florets, fertile florets 13–20 mm.

yellow, sterile florets ? fertile florets, fertile florets 10–14 mm.

Phyllaries

outer ovate;

bodies green, palmately spiny;

central spines stout, 10–25 mm; straw-colored; inner with smaller hyaline appendages.

outer ovate, bases spiny-fringed;

surfaces tomentose to glabrate;

central spines slender, 5–10 mm, often purple; inner entire; acute or spine-tipped.

Fruits

dimorphic; outer 2–3 mm, dark brown, glabrous;

pappi 0; inner light brown or mottled, pappi of white bristles, 2–4 mm.

2.5–3 mm, white or light brown, finely hairy, pappi of unequal, white bristles, 1.5–3 mm.

Heads

disciform, pedunculate.

disciform.

2n

=16.

=24.

Centaurea solstitialis

Centaurea melitensis

Distribution
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Disturbed areas, roadsides, woods, fields, pastures, streambanks. Flowering Jul–Oct. 0–2000 m. BR, BW, Col, CR, Est, Lava, Sisk, WV. CA, ID, NV, WA; throughout North America; Europe. Exotic.

Centaurea solstitialis is an aggressive weed of pastures and rangeland in western North America, often forming dense stands. This species is cumulatively toxic to horses, potentially causing a disorder known as “chewing disease.” See also C. × gerstlaueri.

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.

Source Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 215
Bridget Chipman
Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 214
Bridget Chipman
Sibling taxa
C. benedicta, C. calcitrapa, C. cyanus, C. diffusa, C. iberica, C. jacea, C. jacea x Centaurea nigra, C. melitensis, C. montana, C. nigra, C. nigrescens, C. stoebe, C. virgata
C. benedicta, C. calcitrapa, C. cyanus, C. diffusa, C. iberica, C. jacea, C. jacea x Centaurea nigra, C. montana, C. nigra, C. nigrescens, C. solstitialis, C. stoebe, C. virgata
Web links