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Maltese starthistle, tocalote

Habit Annual, 1.5-7 dm. tall, lightly covered with crisp hairs, the stem with narrow wings from the leaf bases.
Leaves

Basal and lower cauline leaves oblanceolate, toothed to lyrate-pinnatifid, 3-15 cm. long and 5-35 mm. wide, usually deciduous; middle and upper cauline leaves smaller, becoming linear-oblong and entire upward.

Flowers

Heads few to numerous;

involucre 8-15 mm. high, broader toward the base, its middle and outer bracts spine-tipped, the central spine 5-9 mm. long; the inner bracts purple tinged;

flowers yellow, all alike;

pappus 1.5-3 mm. long;

receptacle strongly bristly.

Centaurea melitensis

Asteraceae

Flowering time June-September
Habitat Roadsides, meadows, balds, fields, ditches, wastelots, and other disturbed, open areas at low to middle elevations.
Distribution
Occurring chiefly west of the Cascades in Washington; British Columbia to California and Mexico, east to Texas and eastern North America.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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Origin Introduced from the Mediterranean region Native
Conservation status Not of concern Not of concern
Sibling taxa
C. benedicta, C. calcitrapa, C. cyanus, C. diffusa, C. ×gerstlaueri, C. iberica, C. jacea, C. macrocephala, C. montana, C. nigra, C. nigrescens, C. solstitialis, C. stoebe, C. trichocephala, C. ×varnensis
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