Cyanus thirkei (Sch.Bip.) Holub (= Centaurea thirkei Schultz Bip.) Kirli Gökbaş (in Turkish)

Cyanus thirkei (Sch.Bip.) Holub (= Centaurea thirkei Schultz Bip.) - Kirli Gökbaş (in Turkish)

Scientific Description:

Perennial with dimorphic roots, mostly fusiform in upper part. Stem simple, 3−13 cm (excl. the single head). Leaves grey-tomentose, variable, in most cases partly undivided, lanceolate, partly lyrate to pinnatilobate with 2−3 pairs of lateral lobes, sometimes only one of the two types of leaves present. Involucre 16−20 × 10−12(−14) mm. Appendage a narrow blackish-brown border with cilia 3−4 × as long as width of border, cilia silvery at tips. Flowers whitish or more rarely violet (anther-tube of central flowers always violet), marginal strongly radiant. Achenes 4−5 mm; pappus (0.8−)l−2 mm.

Flowering time: April−June.

Habitat: Meadows, rocky slopes, 900−2100 m.

Reference:
Wagenitz G (1975). Centaurea thirkei Schultz Bip., In: Davis PH (ed.), Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 5: 579.

Public Description:

Cyanus thirkei, known as “kirli gökbaş” in Turkish, is distributed in Bulgaria and West Anatolia. It is a perennial herb with whitish flowers, and grows up to about 13 cm tall. It blooms between April and June and is found in meadows and rocky slopes.

References:

Anonymous (2016). http://tubives.com/index.php?sayfa=1&tax_id=5557, Accessed date: 06.01.2016.

Uysal T (2012). Cyanus Mill. In: Güner, A., Aslan, S., Ekim, T., Vural, M. & Babaç, M.T. (eds.), Türkiye Bitkileri Listesi (Damarlı Bitkiler). Nezahat Gökyiğit Botanik Bahçesi ve Flora Araştırmaları Derneği Yayını. İstanbul, pp. 154–156.