Centaurea calcitrapa

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Template:Short description Template:Speciesbox

Centaurea calcitrapa is a species of flowering plant known by several common names, including common star thistle, red star-thistle[1] and purple star thistle. It is native to Europe but is known across the globe as an introduced species and often a noxious weed.[2][3] The species name calcitrapa comes from the word caltrop, a type of weapon covered in sharp spikes.[4][5]

Description

This an annual or biennial plant growing erect to a maximum height of one[6] to 1.3[4] metres.

The stems are hairless and grooved.[7]

It sometimes takes the shape of a mound, and it is finely to densely hairy to spiny. The leaves are dotted with resin glands. The lowermost may reach a length of 20 centimeters and are deeply cut into lobes. The inflorescence contains a few flower heads. Each is 1.5 to 2 centimeters long and oval in general shape. The phyllaries are green or straw-colored and tipped in tough, sharp yellow spines. The head contains many bright purple flowers. The fruit is an achene a few millimeters long which lacks a pappus.

It flowers from July until September, and the seeds ripen from August to October.

The Red Star-thistle has been identified as a Priority Species by the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. It is identified as 'vulnerable' by the UNIC and is listed as Nationally Rare in the UK Red Data Book. There is no national or Sussex BAP for this species.

Distribution

[8]

Native distribution

  • In France

Introduced distribution

  • In Australia

Subspecies

Three subspecies are accepted.[9]

  • Centaurea calcitrapa subsp. angusticeps (H.Lindb.) MeikleScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". – Cyprus
  • Centaurea calcitrapa subsp. calcitrapa –  Baltic states, Czech Republic, southeastern Europe, Corsica, Sardinia, Iberian Peninsula, northwestern Africa, Egypt, Sudan, Turkey, Lebanon and Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Iran.
  • Centaurea calcitrapa subsp. cilicica (Boiss. & Balansa) WagenitzScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". – Turkey

Uses

In western Crete, Greece a local variety called gourounaki (γουρουνάκι - little pig) has its leaves eaten boiled by the locals.[10] A south Italian variety of the species is also traditionally consumed by ethnic Albanians (Arbëreshë people) in the Vulture area (southern Italy). In the Arbëreshë communities in Lucania the young whorls of Centaurea calcitrapa are boiled and fried in mixtures with other weedy non cultivated greens.[11]

Control

Herbicides

Picloram + 2,4-D, low volatile ester 2,4-D, Dicamba, and Fluroxypyr + Aminopyralid are recommended for use in New South Wales,[12] and aminocyclopyrachlor + chlorsulfuron, aminopyralid, chlorsulfuron, clopyralid, clopyralid + 2,4-D, dicamba, diflufenzopyr + dicamba, picloram, and triclopyr + clopyralid for the Pacific Northwest of North America.[13]

Herbicide resistance

Picloram + 2,4-D, low volatile ester 2,4-D, Dicamba, and Fluroxypyr + Aminopyralid all carry a "moderate" risk of producing resistance in C. calcitrapa.[12]

Similar species

  • Centaurea aspera, known as rough star-thistle. The main difference is the bract appendages are palmately arranged.
  • Centaurea solstitialis, known as yellow star thistle. Differs in having yellow flowers palmately arranged, spiny bract appendages, with middle spine only 1 to 2 cm.

References

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External links

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  1. ↑ Template:BSBI 2007
  2. ↑ Template:GRIN
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named powo
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ A. Pieroni, V. Janiak, C. M. Dürr, S. Lüdeke, E. Trachsel and M. Heinrich: In vitro Antioxidant Activity of Non-cultivated Vegetables of Ethnic Albanians in Southern Italy, Centre for Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy, The School of Pharmacy, University of London 29-39 Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AX, UK; PHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCH, 16, 467–473 (2002) Template:Webarchive
  12. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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