BLUE CUPIDONE
Catananche caerulea
Daisy & Dandelion Family [Asteraceae] 
|
|
Daisy & Dandelion Family [Asteraceae]
|
|
status
flower
inner
morph
petals
stem
| 15th Aug 2016, upper sandy beach, Llandudno Bay, Little Orme, N. Wales. | Photo: © RWD |
| A strange combination of phyllaries with rather large petals protruding from the top. This one past its sell-by date. Note the narrow semi-translucent phyllaries at the top, wide ones in the middle and tinier ones as it narrows onto the stem. Stem has short appressed hairs. |
| 15th Aug 2016, upper sandy beach, Llandudno Bay, Little Orme, N. Wales. | Photo: © RWD |
| Petals a deep blue at the top fading to white as it enters the phyllary enclosure. Wider in the middle. |
| 15th Aug 2016, upper sandy beach, Llandudno Bay, Little Orme, N. Wales. | Photo: © RWD |
| Phyllaries silvery-white and semi-translucent, the more so at the top. Phyllaries have a prominent brown mid-rib terminating in an acuminate point. |
| 15th Aug 2016, upper sandy beach, Llandudno Bay, Little Orme, N. Wales. | Photo: © RWD |
| A spent woody specimen. |
| 15th Aug 2016, upper sandy beach, Llandudno Bay, Little Orme, N. Wales. | Photo: © RWD |
| Each blue petal is actually 5 flowers (the 5 teeth at the top). This is the early stage of the plant. A bit later when it opens up it looks much more like Chicory, with several two or three set lengths of petals arranged daisy-like. |
| 15th Aug 2016, upper sandy beach, Llandudno Bay, Little Orme, N. Wales. | Photo: © RWD |
| Semi-translucent phyllaries. |
|
Some similarities to : Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus) which also has blue flowers and phyllaries (although they are not silvery). Slight resemblance to : Knapweeds such as Greater Knapweed (Centaurea scabiosa) Uniquely identifiable characteristics: Distinguishing Feature : The overlapping translucent silvery phyllaries and deep-blue flags atop. It is a garden plant which escapes onto roadsides. It has few leaves on the stem, if any. Basal leaves which are up to 30cm long are elliptic or linear without teeth. It occurs only in 3 places, none of which is not here.
|
 Catananche
|
caerulea
|
⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ |
Asteraceae
|
 Catananche (Blue Cupidone) |
|
Daisy & Dandelion Family [Asteraceae]
|
BSBI maps