274 



CENTAUREA 



CENTAUREA 



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

 the lower toothed, sometimes pinnatifld : 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. 6«; 39, p. 537.- One of the 

 most popular of garden fls., running into many v-arieties. 

 It is perfectly hardy, blooming until frost and coming 

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



i pure white and very fragrant. It was 



406. Ce 





. Cyanus {X %). 



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

 pots and edgings ; Emperor William, fine dark blue ; 

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

 fls.; nana compacta, dwarf. 



AAA. Sweet Svi^tavs. — Straight-growing, smooth an- 



nxalx nr perennials, ivith dentate Ivs., grown 



for the large fragrant heads. 



5. mosch^ta. Linu. {C. suaveolens, Linn. C. odordta 



Hort. C - Antberbdi, MWl. Amtierbda moschdta,'Less.} 



Sweet Sultan. Fig. 407. Annual : sts. 2 ft. high. 



branching below, erect : whole plant smooth, bright 



green: Ivs. pinnatifld, the lobes dentate : fl.-headslong 



pediuK-led; invol. round or ovate, smooth; only the in 



nermost of the invol. scales with scarious margius: fls 



white, yellow or purple, fragrant. Orient. Mn.4:U9. 



Gn. 54:119.5. l.H. 42, p. 106. Gng. 4:147. 



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

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



as C. MargaHt 



int. by an Italian Arm in 1891. 



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

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

 culture. It does not bear transplanting well. 



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

 and C. Margarita!, int. into the American trade in 1899. 

 Plants are said to inherit the vigorous, free growth of 

 C. Hio«Aii/n,beingof the same easy culture and forming 

 clumps .J-l ft. high. The fls. resemble C. Ifai-<7an7(p, but 

 are twice as large and abundantly borne on long stems 

 from .luly until frost. Theyrange through white, rose, 

 lilac and purple, are fra(;rant. and it cut when first open 

 will keep 10 days. C. JI<)riie, Hort., int. 1899, resembles 

 ('. imperialis, but the fls. open sulfur-yellow, become 

 lighter, and are tipped with rose. 



AAAA. Other Centaureas of various kinds, occa- 

 sionally grown in hardy borders for their fls. 

 or imposing stature. 



B. Foliage green on both sides. 

 c. l/vs. pinnate or hipinnate. 



(!. Bpl^ndens, Linn. (C. margariticea. Ten.). Peren- 

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

 pinnate. the upper pinnate, all with very narrow, linear, 

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

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

 Hs. purple. Spain, Italy. 



cc. Z/VS. entire or dentate, not pinnatisect. 



7. Americ&na, Nutt. {Plectocephnliis Amei-icAmis, 

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

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

 naked head : Ivs. mostly entire, oblong-lance-shaped : 

 involucre yi-1% in. in diam., its bracts all with fringed, 

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

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



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

 P. S. 4: ,127. S. H.2: 223. -Very attractive. 



8. macroc6phala, Puschk. Perennial : 

 stems simple, erect, swollen below the 

 flower-head, leafy, 2%-3 ft. high : Ivs. 

 ovate-lanceolate, slightly decurrent, sca- 

 brous, acute, somewhat serrate, gradually 

 diminishing upwards to the base of the 

 siiii,-li- feriuinal head : head subglobose, 

 hitL-ii- tliiiii a hen's egg, often 3-4 in. in 

 ili.nii,; irivohicre of 8-12 rows of ap- 

 pn -M (1. M-arious-margined, rusty, fringed 

 sc:iles : lis. yellow, 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: Ivs. 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. varieg&ta, Hort. 

 Lvs. edged with creamy 

 white, tufted. A very strik- 

 ing border plant. 

 BB. Foliage white or to- 



mentose, at least be- 

 neath (often green 

 above). 

 c. Sten 



not strict. 

 10. leucophyila,Bieb.((7. 

 deoUnAta, Bieb.). Peren- 

 nial : stems short, decum- 

 bent, with very few lvs. : 

 root-lvs. petioled, tomen- 



407. Centaurea moschata. 



(X M.) 



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. 



