Ball-headed knapweed

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Ball-headed knapweed
Centaurea sphaerocephala 1.JPG

Globular knapweed ( Centaurea sphaerocephala )

Systematics
Order : Astern-like (Asterales)
Family : Daisy family (Asteraceae)
Subfamily : Carduoideae
Tribe : Cynareae
Genre : Knapweed ( Centaurea )
Type : Ball-headed knapweed
Scientific name
Centaurea sphaerocephala
L.

The spherical knapweed ( Centaurea sphaerocephala ) is a species of the knapweed genus ( Centaurea ) in the sunflower family (Asteraceae).

features

The spherical knapweed is an ascending to upright, perennial plant that reaches heights of 10 to 70 centimeters. It is not very branched and ribbed. The leaves are cobweb-like, woolly and glandular as well as prickly . The lower leaves are up to 8 centimeters long, lyre-shaped and have pointed, roughly serrated sections, the upper ones are serrated to entire and encompass more or less the entire stem. The flowers together form flower-like heads that sit individually on the stem ends. The cover is 3.5 centimeters wide. The bracts are arranged like roof tiles. Its appendage is reddish brown and bent back and has 5 to 13 yellowish, palm-shaped spines, of which the middle one is usually somewhat longer. All flowers are tubular, five-lobed, purple and up to 1.5 inches long. The outer flowers are sterile and enlarged, the inner ones fertile and smaller. The fruit is an achenes up to 4.5 millimeters long with a bristle ring of hair that is absent in the outermost achenes.

Flowering time is from (April) May to July (November)

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 22 or 44.

Occurrence

Globular knapweed ( Centaurea sphaerocephala )

The spherical knapweed comes from the western Mediterranean region of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Spain, Gibraltar, Portugal, Sardinia, Sicily, Corsica, east to Italy and Libya. In Madeira she is a neophyte. It grows on dunes and sandy areas near the coast.

Systematics

One can distinguish the following subspecies:

  • Centaurea sphaerocephala L. subsp. sphaerocephala : It occurs in Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar, Italy, Sardinia, Sicily and Corsica.
  • Centaurea sphaerocephala subsp. lusitanica (Boiss. & Reut.) Nyman : It originally occurs in Portugal and is a neophyte in Madeira.
  • Centaurea sphaerocephala subsp. malacitana (Boiss.) Dostál : It occurs in Spain. The number of chromosomes is 2n = 22.
  • Centaurea sphaerocephala subsp. polyacantha (Willd.) Dostál : It occurs in Morocco, Portugal and Spain. The number of chromosomes is 2n = 22.

literature

  • Ehrentraud Bayer, Karl-Peter Buttler , Xaver Finkenzeller, Jürke Grau: Plants of the Mediterranean (The Colored Nature Guide). Mosaik Verlag GmbH, Munich 1986.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Peter Schönfelder , Ingrid Schönfelder: The new cosmos Mediterranean flora. Franckh Kosmos Verlag Stuttgart 2008. ISBN 978-3-440-10742-3 . P. 104.
  2. ↑ a b c Centaurea sphaerocephala at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g Werner Greuter (2006+): Compositae (pro parte majore). - In: W. Greuter & E. von Raab-Straube (eds.): Compositae. Euro + Med Plantbase - the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity. Datasheet Centaurea sphaerocephala In: Euro + Med Plantbase - the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity.

Web links

Commons : Kugelkopf-Knapweed  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files