SLENDER CENTAURY

Centaurium tenuiflorum

Gentian Family [Gentianaceae]

month8jun month8june month8jul month8july month8aug month8sep month8sept

status
statusZnative
 		 flower
flower8white
 		 inner
inner8cream
 		 inner
inner8yellow
 		 morph
morph8actino
 		 petals
petalsZ5
(4)-5		 stem
stem8square
 		 rarity
rarityZrare
 

12th July 2017, Dorset. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
Along with the procumbent Perennial Centaury, Slender Centaury is the most rare of Centauries; both earning a very rare [RRR] in Stace III.


12th July 2017, Dorset. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
Normally a white colour, it is also found with a pale pink was (see below).


12th July 2017, Dorset. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
It is very similar to Lesser Centaury in that both are found near the sea, and with long sepal tubes and corolla-lobes a short 2-4mm. None of these specimens have yet opened.


12th July 2017, Dorset. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
Differs from Lesser Centaury in that the flowers are usually white and the inflorescence is denser with the sepal tubes closer together than the well-separated ones of Lesser Centaury. At up to 35cm high it is also taller than the 'up to 20cm' of Slender Centaury especially when it is considered that Slender Centaury is much more often less than 6cm high. There are also usually many branches - with the upper branches usually slightly divergent at a fairly narrow angle.


12th July 2017, Dorset. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
Of the Centaurium species Centauries - these are the equal shortest corolla-lobes (only 2-4mm - as are those of Lesser Centaury).


THE PINK TYPE

12th July 2017, Dorset. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
For some reason these have wider lower-stem leaves than the white flowered ones.


12th July 2017, Dorset. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone


12th July 2017, Dorset. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
With just a hint of pinkness in the petals.

Not to be semantically confused with: Annual Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus) nor with Perennial Cornflower (Centaurea montana) or Common Knapweed (Centaurea nigra) or Greater Knapweed (Centaurea scabiosa) or Lesser Knapweed (Centaurea nemoralis) (now known as Chalk Knapweed (Centaurea debeauxii)) [plants whose scientific names are similar, but which are in a totally different Family altogether, the Daisy & Dandelion Family (Asteraceae)].

Some similarities to : Lesser Centaury (Centaurium pulchellum) - see captions under photos for both differences and similarities.

Uniquely identifiable characteristics

Distinguishing Feature :

  Centaurium tenuiflorum  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Gentianaceae  

Distribution
genus8Centaurium
 BSBI maps
genus8Centaurium
Centaurium
(Centauries)

SLENDER CENTAURY

Centaurium tenuiflorum

Gentian Family [Gentianaceae]