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Electronic Flora of South Australia species Fact Sheet

Family: Asteraceae
Centaurea solstitialis

Citation: L., Sp. Pl. 917 (1753).

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: St Barnabys thistle, yellow cockspur, golden star-thistle.

Description:
Annual (rarely biennial) herb to 1 m high; stems erect, much-branched, winged, cobwebby to tomentose; basal leaves lanceolate, lyrate, pinnatiff& to 20 cm long, pubescent to cobwebby with scabrous margins, prominently veined, withering before flowering; cauline leaves narrowly lanceolate, decurrent, entire to dentate, 1-7 cm long, 2-8 mm wide, pubescent to cobwebby with scabrous margins.

Capitula solitary, 8-14 mm diam.; involucre broadly ovoid, 10-12 mm long; bracts ovate, glabrous or the outer ones somewhat cobwebby, pale-green; fippendages with a straight patent terminal spine 10-20 mm long and 1 or 2 pairs of spinules 1-3 mm long at the base, yellowish; outer florets patent to erect; corollas yellow.

Achenes c. 2.5 mm long, black; pappus of unequal bristles to 4 mm long.

Published illustration: Parsons (1973) Noxious weeds of Victoria, p. 61.

Distribution:  On roadsides and wasteland.

S.Aust.: FR, NL, MU, SL.   All States except the N.T.   Native to Europe.

Conservation status: naturalised

Flowering time: Oct. — April.


SA Distribution Map based
on current data relating to
specimens held in the
State Herbarium of South Australia

Biology: Causes 'chewing disease' in horses.

Author: Not yet available


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