Centaurea iberica
Iberian Star Thistle
Taxonomy and growth
- Family
- Compositae
- Genus
- Centaurea
- Life cycle
- biennial
- Height
- 0.9 m
- Fertility
- self fertile
- Flower type
- hermaphrodite
- Pollinators
- Bees, Flies, Lepidoptera, Self
Uses
Edible uses
Edible cooked[2][3]. The part used is not specified.
- Plant part
- Leaves
Environment
- Range
- S.E. Europe to S.W. Asia.
- Habitat
- Mountain slopes in Tibet at elevations of 500 - 800 metres[6].
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- no shade
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- Zone 6+
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy, clay
- Soil pH
- acid, neutral, alkaline
- Drainage
- well drained
- Tolerances
- drought
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- tolerant
Propagation
Seed - sow April in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
Cultivation
Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[1][4]. Prefers a well-drained fertile soil and a sunny position[4]. Tolerates dry, low fertility and alkaline soils[4]. This species is closely related to C. calcitrapa. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[5].
References
F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00
Singh. Dr. G. and Kachroo. Prof. Dr. P. Forest Flora of Srinagar. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh 1976-00-00
Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
Flora of China 1994-00-00 http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/