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C E N 
14. Centaurea montana, mountain centaury, or peren¬ 
nial blue-bottle-: calyxes ferrate, leaves lanceolate, de¬ 
current; (tern quite fimple. Scopoli, who mentions {'eve- 
mi varieties, defcribes the common fort as being a foot 
and half in height; leaves on the Hem as far as (ixteen, 
With one flower at the end; it is alfo found with two 
flowers on a Hem, and as far as nineteen florets .in the ray. 
Native of the South of Europe. Ray obferved it about 
Spa, and on mount Jura, not far from Geneva; but it is 
common on many parts of the continent. It was culti¬ 
vated in 1596 by Gerarde, and flowers in M^ty and June; 
it is commonly called perennial blue-bottle, and by fonie 
batchelor’s buttons. 
13. tCentaurea cyanus, or corn centaury, annual blue¬ 
bottle : calyxes ferrate ; leaves linear, quite entire, the 
lowed toothed. Stem one to two feet high, angular, 
(lightly tomentofe, branched at top. It is a common weed 
among corn, flowering from June to Augufl:; the wild 
flower is ufually blue, but fometimes white or purple. 
Our old Engltfli writers, befides blue-bottle, which has 
commonly obtained, have the names of blue-ball , blue-blow, 
corn-flower, and hart-flckle. In the Booke of Hufbandrye 
aferibed to Fitzherbert, it feems to be called hadods or 
haudod. Some modern agriculturifts fpeak of it under the 
name of huddle , which is evidently nothing more than a 
corruption of bottle. Dr. Stokes informs us, that it is 
called batchelor's buttons in Yorklhire and Derbyfhire; but 
this is a name given to many other flowers. In Scotland 
it is called blue bonnets ; in German, Dutch, Swedifh, and 
Danifh, korn-blume-, in French, bluet ; in Italian and Por- 
tuguefe, ciano\ in Spanifh, aciano, azuleio. The exprelfed 
juice of the neutral florets makes a good ink ; it alfo ftains 
linen of a beautiful blue, but the colour is not permanent 
in any mode hitherto ufed. Mr. Boyle fays, that the 
juice of the central florets, with the addition of a very 
fmall quantity of alum, makes a lading tranfparent blue, 
not inferior to ultramarine. 
16. Centaurea paniculata, or panicled centaury: calyxes 
eiliate, feales flat; leaves bipinnate, branch-leaves pin¬ 
natifid, linear; ftem panicled, almoft woody, ftiff, ftriated, 
or angular, whitifh, branched, from a foot to eighteen 
inches and two feet in height. Native of the South of 
France, Swiflerland, Germany, Auflria, Carniola, Italy, 
and Spain. Annual; cultivated in 1640. There is a va¬ 
riety with larger flowers; leaves hoary, and differing 
fomewhat in appearance. 
17. Centaurea fpinofa, or prickly-branched centaury : 
calyxes fubciliate, branches fpinous. The whole plant is 
tomentofe ; the fmall branches terminate in ftiff' thorns, 
and the calyx is very (lightly eiliate. Native of the ill and 
of Candia. 
18. Centaurea Ragufina, or Cretan centaury : calyxes 
eiliate ; leaves tomentofe, pinnatifid ; leaflets obtufe, ovate, 
quite entire, the outer ones larger. Leaves white, as it 
were pappous, pinnated with rounded lobes ; flower foli- 
tary, pecluncled. It feldom rifes more than three feet 
high in this country, with a perennial flalk dividing into 
many branches. The flowers, which are produced from 
tlvefe, on fhort peduncles, are of a bright yellow. They 
appear in June and July, but the feeds feldom ripen in 
England. As this plant retains its leaves, which are ex¬ 
tremely, white, all the year, it makes a pretty variety in 
a garden. Native of the itland of Candia, and of feveral 
places on the coaffs of the Mediterranean, botli in Europe 
and Africa; cultivated in 1714 by theduchefsof Beaufort. 
19. Centaurea cineraria, or white-leaved mountain cen¬ 
taury : calyxes eiliate, terminal, feflile ; leaves tomentofe, 
bipinnatifid; lobes acute. Stems near three feet high, 
branching, from a perennial root; leaves white, as it 
were pappous ; flower purple, with white ftyles. Tljefe 
come out in June, and in favourable feafons the feeds are 
perfected in autumn ; it retains its leaves all the year. 
It grows naturally in Italy, on the borders of the fields. 
20. Centaurea argentea, or filvery centaury : calyxes 
ferrate; leaves tomentofe, root-leaves pinnatifid, leaflets 
Vol, IV. No. 175. 
A U R E A. 
25 
earlefs. Flowers yellow ; leaves white, as in the lad 
fpecies. Native of Candia or Crete; perennial, flower¬ 
ing in July. 
21. Centaurea Sibirica, or Siberian centaury : calyxes 
eiliate ; leaves tomentofe, undivided and pinnatifid, quite 
entire; flem declined. Found in Siberia by Gmelin; in¬ 
troduced in 1782 by Mr. John Buffi. 
22. Centaurea fempervirens, or evergreen centaury: 
calyxes eiliate; leaves lanceolate, ferrate, fubflipuled at 
the lowed tooth ; lower leaves haflate. It is a perennial 
plant, and the leaves continue in verdure through the 
year, for which it is chiefly valued, for the flower has 
little more beauty than the common knap-weed ; flowers 
in June and July, and in warm feafons the feeds ripen in 
September. It grows naturally in Spain and Portugal; 
and was cultivated in 1683 by Mr. James Sutherland. 
23. Centaurea fcabiofa, or fcabious centaury, or great 
knap-weed; calyxes eiliate; leaves pinnatifid; pinnas 
lanceolate. It varies frequently with white flowers. 
Haller mentions feveral other variations in the colour, as 
flefh-coloured variegated with that and white, pale yel¬ 
low, and full yellow. Native of mod countries of Eu¬ 
rope, except the very fouthern parts, in meadows, on the 
borders of corn-fields, among corn, and by road tides; 
perennial, flowering in July and Augtift ; called, in York- 
fhire r great horfe-knobs. 
24. Centaurea Tatarica, or Tartarian centaury : calyxes 
eiliate ; leaves pinnate ; pinnas lanceolate, undivided. 
Native of Siberia ; perennial. 
25. Centaurea Stoebe: calyxes eiliate, oblong; leaves 
pinnatifid, linear, quite entire. Stems near three feet high, 
branched, with a fingle leaf at each joint. Flowers appear 
in June; feeds ripen in Augufl. 
26. Centaurea acaulis, or flemlefs centaury: calyxes 
eiliate; leaves lyrate; flem fcarcely any. The flower is 
yellow ; cilias of the feales white ; root fweet and efctilent. 
III. Rhapontica : with the feales of the calyx dry and 
fcariofe. 27. Centaurea orientalis, or oriental centaury : 
calyxes fcariofe-ciliate ; leaves pinnatifid ; pinnas lanceo¬ 
late. The Items rife near five feet high, dividing at top 
into many fmaller branches. Flowers yellow ; they come 
out from June to Augufl, and the feeds ripen in autumn. 
Native of Siberia; cultivated in 1759 by Mr. Miller, to 
whom the feeds were fent from Petertburgh. 
28. Centaurea Behen : calyxes fcariofe ; radical leaves 
lyrate; lobes oppofite ; dem-leaves embracing. I,eaves 
large, like thole of docks, fharp, and flift, like pear- 
leaves, with two pair of fmaller ones at the bale, which 
make them lyrate. Stems eighteen inches high ; flowers 
oblong, yellow. Grows at the foot of Mount Libanus* 
in fliady watery places. 
29. Centaurea repens, or creeping centaury : calyxes 
fcariofe ; leaves lanceolate, fubpetioled, toothed ; pedun¬ 
cles filiform, leaflefs. Native of the Levant; perennial. 
30. Centaurea jacea, or common centaury, or knap¬ 
weed ; calyxes fcariofe, lacerate; leaves lanceolate, ra¬ 
dical leaves finuate-toothed ; branches angular. Stem 
from two to eighteen inches in height, (fometimes, ac¬ 
cording to others, attaining the human ftature,) little 
branched, with a large flower terminating each branch. 
It often varies, tike many other of the fpecies, with a 
white flower. Native of the North of Europe, and of 
the South of France, &c..Perennial. 
31. Centaurea amara, or bitter centaury : calyxes fca¬ 
riofe ; leaves lanceolate, quite entire; fienrs decumbent. 
32. Centaurea alba, or white-flowered centaury : calyxes 
fcariofe, entire, mucronated ; leaves pinnate, toothed; 
fiem-leaves linear, toothed at the bale. Natives ot Spain 
and Swilferland. 
33. Centaurea fplendens, or fliining centaury : calyxes 
fcariofe, obtufe; radical leaves bipinnatifid ; dem-leaves 
pinnated, teeth lanceolate. Stems three feet high, angu¬ 
lar, hard, fniooth, branched, many-flowered ; flowers pur¬ 
ple, with a beautiful filvery calyx. Biennial, flowering 
in July; the feeds ripen in September. Found in tranf- 
H alpine 
