36 WILD FLOWERS OF THE BRITISH ISLES 
Stamens inserted on the top of the corolla-tube. 
(1) Common Centaury. (Centaurium umbell£tum.) — Outer flowers stalked, calyx not half as 
long as corolla-tube, corolla-lobes oval. 
(2) Broad-leaved Centaury. (Centatirium latifolium.) — Flowers all stalkless, calyx as long 
as corolla-tube, corolla-lobes lance-shaped, leaves broadly oval. 
(3) Narrow-leaved Centaury. (Centaurium vulg^re.) — Flowers large and few, £ inch across, 
outer stalked ; calyx as long as corolla-tube, corolla-lobes oval and blunt, leaves narrow. 
(4) Dwarf Centaury. (Centaurium pulchel'lum.) — Flowers all stalked, calyx rather shorter 
than corolla-tube, corolla-lobes lance-shaped. 
Stamens inserted on the base of the corolla-tube. 
(5) Tufted Centaury. (Centaurium capitatum.) — Flowers with the calyx as long as the 
corolla, stem unbranched. 
1. Common Centaury. (Centaurium umbellatum. Gilib.)— As just described. 
The flowers are small, about f inch across, of an intense pink colour, in numerous clusters of 3 
together, the central one stalkless and opening first, and the side ones stalked and with 2 bracts 
below the calyx, forming a repeatedly forked dense cluster (cyme) ; the calyx is not half as long 
as the corolla-tube ; the corolla-lobes are oval; and the stamens are inserted on the top of the corolla- 
tube. The stems are 2-18 inches high, square, the upper part branched; the lower leaves 
are broadly egg-shaped (ovate) and blunt, while the upper ones are in distant pairs, oblong or oval, 
and pointed; they all are smooth and have 3-7 strong parallel veins. ( Centaurion minus. 
Moench. method ; Erythrcea Centaurium. Pers.) \Piate 13. 
Common. In fields, meadows, and waste places, especially on chalky soil ; in England, Scotland, 
and Ireland. July — September. Annual or biennial. 
2. Broad-leaved Centaury. (Centaurium latifdlium. Druce.) — A very similar 
species, though apparently stunted. The pink flowers are all stalkless, about £ inch across ) 
in compact headlike terminal clusters, the calyx as long as the corolla-tube, the corolla-lobes 
lance-shaped, the stems only 2-4 inches high, and the leaves broadly oval, with 5-7 parallel 
veins. ( Centaurion minus. Moench. ; Erythrcea latifolia. Sm.) 
Very rare. On sandy ground near the sea between Southport and Liverpool. June — September. 
Annual. 
3 . Narrow-leaved or Dwarf Tufted Centaury. (Centaurium vulgare. Rafn.)— A 
somewhat similar species to the last, differing in having fewer and larger flowers, about J inch 
across, the outer stalked, the corolla-lobes oval and blunt, the stem 2-6 inches high, and the 
leaves very narrow, with 3 parallel veins. {Erythrcea littoralis. Fries.) 
Local. On sandy sea-shores, chiefly on the coasts of Carnarvon, Flint, Anglesey, Lancashire, 
Northumberland, and one or two places in Scotland. July — August. Annual. 
4. Dwarf Centaury. (Centaurium pulehel'lum. Druce.) — Another similar species, 
with fewer small, star-like pink flowers, J inch across, all stalked ; the calyx rather shorter than 
the corolla-tube, the corolla-lobes narrowly lance-shaped ; the stems very variable in height, some- 
times only 1 inch, and in other specimens nearly 1 foot high, branched, and sharply 4-sided ; the 
leaves egg-shaped, the upper ones narrower and more pointed. {Erythrcea ramosissima. Pers. ; 
Erythrcea pulchella. Fr.) 
Not uncommon on sandy shores or wet sandy inland places in England and Ireland, rare in 
Scotland. July — September. Annual. 
