274 



CENTAUREA 



high, woolly-white when young : Ivs. linear, entire, or 

 the lower toothed, sometimes pinnatifid : fls. blue, pur- 

 ple or white, the heads on long, naked stems : involu- 

 cral bracts rather narrow, fringed with short, scarious 

 teeth. S.E.Eu. Gt. 38, p. 641; .'SO, p. 537.- One of the 

 most popular of garden fls. , running into many -warieties. 

 It is perfectly hardy, blooming until frost and coming 

 up in the spring from self-sown seed. The following are 



406. Centaurea Cyanus (X K). 



varieties of this: Pure White; Victoria, a dwarf, for 

 pots and edgings ; Emperor WiUiam, fine dark blue ; 

 flore pleno, with the outer disc fls. converted into ray 

 fls. ; nana compacta, dwarf. 



AAA. Sweet Sci^tass. — Straight-growing, smooth an- 

 nuals or perennials, with dentate Ivs., grown 

 for the large fragrant heads. 

 5. mOBCh&ta. Linn. (C. suaveolens, Linn. C. odor&ta, 

 Hort. C. Amberbdi, Mill. Amberbda moschAta, Less.). 



Sweet Sultan. Fig. 407. 

 branching below, erect : w 

 green : Irs. pinnatifid, tin- 1' 

 petioled ; invol. round it " 

 nermost of the invol. sculr^ 

 white, yellow or purple, f la; 

 Gn. 54:1195. I. H. 42, p. IOC. 



Annual : sts. 2 ft. high, 

 lolc plant smooth, bright 



I. - (1. iiiiiii' : fl.-headslong- 

 iiir, ^iM...,ih ; only the in- 

 \ ii li .^ian.ius margins : fls. 

 rant. Oiieut. Mn.4:149. 

 ting. 4:147. 



Var. Alba, Hort. (C. Margarltce, Hort.). Fls. white. 

 Gn. 19, p. 337; 54:1195. A.G. 13: 607. This form, known 



CENTAUREA 



as C. Margaritm, is pure white and very fragrant. It was 

 int. by an Italian firm in lb91. 



Var. rtbra, Hort. Fls. red. Gn. 54: 1195.— A popular, 

 old-time garden flower, with long-stalked heads j of easy 

 culture. It does not bear transplanting well. 



C. imperiAlis, Hort., is the offspring of C. moschata 

 and C. Mnrgaritce, int. into the American trade in 1899. 

 Plants are said to inherit the vigorous, free growth of 

 C. mosc/infa.beingof the same easy culture and forming 

 clumps 3-1 ft. high. The fls. resemble C. Maraarit(r, but 

 ai. I i • - I u u-i and abundantly borne on long stems 

 fi i ' , ,: 111. St. They range through white, rose, 



hi I ) ; 1 I , , are fragrant, and if cut when first open 

 «ii, ., . i M .1,,,-. e.Jr<}n>, Hort., int. 1899, resembles 

 C !■. ,■,,! i,... Ijut the fls. open sulfur-yellow, become 



AA.\A. (iTtiKU Centauheas of various kinds, occa- 

 siiinatlji grown in hardy borders for their fls. 

 ur imposing stature. 



B. Foliage green on both sides. 

 c. Lvs. pinnate or bipinnate. 



6. spl^ndens, Linn. (C. margaritdcea, Ten.). Peren- 

 nial : sts. erect, branched : lvs. smooth, the lowest bi- 

 pinnate, the upi>er pinnate, all with very narrow, linear, 

 entire, acute lobes : fi. -heads subglobose ; scales of the 

 involucre with a rounded, almost entire, rather lax tip ; 

 Hs. purple. Spain, Italy. 



cc. IfVS. entire or dentate, not pinnatisect. 



7. Americ&na, Nutt. {Plectocephahis Americdnus, 

 Don). Basket Flower. Fig. 408. Hardy annual, nearly 

 smooth : sts. stout, simple, 2-5 ft., thickened under the 

 naked head : lvs. mostly entire, oblong-lance-sbaped : 

 involucre Vi-VA in. in diam., its bracts all with fringed, 

 scarious appendages ; fls. rose or flesh-colored ; disc 

 1-3 in. diara. ; narrow lobes of the ray 

 flowers often 1 in. long. Ark. to Ariz. 

 F. S. 4: 327. S. H. 2: 223. -Very attractive. 



8. macroc6phaIa, Puschk. Perennial : 

 stems simple, erect, swollen below the 

 flower-head, leafy, 2^-3 ft. high : lvs. 

 ovate-lanceolate, slightly decurrent, sca- 

 brous, acute, somewhat serrate, gradually 

 diminishing upwards to the base of the 

 single terminal head : head subglobose, 

 larger than a hen's egg, often 3-4 in. in 

 diam. ; involucre of 8-12 rows of ap- 

 pressed, scarious-margined, rusty, fringed 

 scales : fls. vellow, the marginal and disc 

 alike. Armenia. B. M. 1248. J. H. Ill, 

 33:331. -Often grown from seeds. 



9. nigra, Linn. Knapweed. Hard 

 Heads. Perennial, 1-2 ft. high : sts. 

 branching, rough pubescent: lvs. lance- 

 shaped and entire or lower 

 sparingly toothed : invo- 

 lucral bracts with pecti- 

 nate-ciliate-frdnged black 

 appendages: fls. all alike, 

 the disc and marginal ones 

 of the same size. Europe. 

 — Var. variegftta, Hort. 

 Lvs. edged with creamy 

 white, tufted. Avery strik- 

 ing border plant. 

 BB. Foliage white or to- 



mentose, at least be- 

 neath {often green 

 above). 

 0. Stems low, weak, 

 not strict. 



10. leucophyUa.Bieb.lC". 

 decfinAta, Bieb. ). Peren- 

 nial : stems short, decum- 

 bent, with very few lvs. ; 

 root-lvs. petioled, tomen- 

 tose-woolly on both sides, pinnate, the ovate lobes un- 

 dulate, sparsely cut-lobed or sinuate-toothed : fl.-head 

 with few bracts, solitary, terminal ; scales of the ovate 

 involucre lanceolate, acuminate, brown, long-ciliate : 

 fls. purple. Caucasus. 



