Cyanus triumfettii (All.) Dostál ex Á.Löve & D.Löve (= Centaurea triumfettii All.) Squarrose Knapweed

Cyanus triumfettii (All.) Dostál ex Á.Löve & D.Löve (= Centaurea triumfettii All.) - Squarrose Knapweed

Scientific Description:

Perennial with creeping rootstock, sterile rosettes sometimes developed, but stem never arising at their base. Stems (5−) 10−60 cm, erect or rarely ascending, simple or with few branches. Leaves + densely tomentose, sometimes glabrescent; broadly lanceolate to linear-lanceolate or linear, lower petiolate, sometimes pinnatilobate, stem leaves sessile, often narrowly decurrent. Involucre 15−22 × 8−15(−20) mm, ovoid. Appendages small to medium-sized (sometimes nearly concealing basal part of phyllaries), decurrent with dark brown border with numerous silvery (l.5−) 2−3(−4) mm cilia. Marginal flowers radiant, blue, more rarely pink or violet-purple, central flowers violet-purple. Achenes 4−5 mm; pappus 1−2.5 mm.

 

Flowering time: May−July(−August).

Habitat: Pinus L. forests, Quercus L. scrub, mountain steppe, rocky slopes, pasture, 500−3500 m.

 

Reference:
Wagenitz G (1975). Centaurea triumfettii All., In: Davis PH (ed.), Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 5: 576.

Public Description:

Cyanus triumfetti, known as “squarrose knapweed”, is distributed in Europe, North Africa, Lebanon, Crimea, the Caucasus, Türkiye and northern Iran. The name of the genus comes from an old Greek word “kyanos” which is meaning “ dark blue substance” and refers to the intense blue color of the flowers. It is a perennial herb with blue, more rarely pink or violet-purple flowers, and grows up to 60 cm in length. It blooms between May and July. It is known as the invasive species of dry pastures with shallow soils. It is resistant to harsh conditions and fires. Like other knapweeds, it competes with forage crops on pasture to reduce feed production for livestock and wildlife.

 

References:

Anonymous 1 (2016). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centaurea_triumfettii/, Accessed date: 06.01.2016.

Anonymous 2 (2018). https://routes.tips/blog/top_10_mountain_flowers_to_discover, Accessed Date: 03.03.2018.

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.