The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California

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  • Up-to-date information about California vascular plants is available from the Jepson eFlora.

Names are linked to treatments from the Manual


Key to CENTAUREA

N.B.: couplets are linked, e.g., 1. is linked to 1'.

  1. Corollas yellow
 
    2. Corollas generally > 25 mm
C. sulphurea
    2' Corollas generally 10–20 mm
 
      3. Central spines of main phyllaries 5–10 mm
C. melitensis
      3' Central spines of main phyllaries 10–25 mm
C. solstitialis
  1' Corollas white to pink, blue, or purple
 
    4. Main phyllaries ± spine-tipped
 
      5. Central spines of main phyllaries 10–25 mm
 
        6. Young leaves ± gray-tomentose; involucre body 6–8 mm diam
C. calcitrapa
        6' Young leaves minutely bristly, green; involucre body 8–14 mm diam
C. iberica
      5' Central spines of main phyllaries generally < 10 mm
 
        7. Outer corollas ± ray-like, 20–30 mm, purple
2 C. diluta
        7' Outer corollas not or barely enlarged, 7–13 mm, white to pink or pale purple
 
          8. Involucre 10–13 mm; corollas 12–13 mm
C. diffusa
          8' Involucre 7–8 mm; corollas 7–9 mm
C. squarrosa
    4' Main phyllaries not spine-tipped
 
      9. Annual
 
        10. Herbage ± tomentose; inner corollas 10–15 mm
C. cyanus
        10' Herbage (sub)glabrous; inner corollas ± 20 mm
2 C. diluta
      9' Perennial
 
        11. Flowers all fruiting, corollas ± equal
C. nigra
        11' Outer flowers sterile, ± ray-like; inner flowers fruiting
 
          12. Involucres 10–13 mm
C. maculosa
          12' Involucres 15–18 mm
C. ×pratensis


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