Centaurea (sect. Phaeopappus) Hoffmann 1895
Creators: name: Ranjbar, Massoud
name: Negaresh, Kazem
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Asterales
Asteraceae
Centaurea

description: Key to the species of Centaurea sect. Phaeopappus   
 1 Capitula arranged in a raceme; involucres <15 mm wide; appendages entire or irregularly denticulate C. stapfiana   
– Capitula solitary; involucres> 15 mm wide; appendages ciliate............................................................................... 2  
2 Appendages never decurrent....................................................................................................................................... 3  
– Appendages sometimes shortly decurrent on crenate margins................................................................................... 9  
3 Median and upper cauline leaves broadly decurrent.................................................................................................. 4  
– Median and upper cauline leaves not decurrent.......................................................................................................... 7  
 4 Flowers purple............................................................................................................................................ C. handelii   
– Flowers yellow or white.............................................................................................................................................. 5  
 5 Median and upper cauline leaves obtuse at apex; upper cauline leaves slightly longer than capitula; involucres ca. 20 mm long.................................................................................................................................................. C. obtusifolia   
– Median and upper cauline leaves acute or acuminate at apex; upper cauline leaves almost shorter than capitula; involucres (25–) 30–40 mm long........................................................................................................................................ 6  
 6 Plant glabrous; basal and lower leaves undivided; spine 3–7 mm long; achenes brown or dark brown and 6–8 mm long; pappus straw-coloured to brownish, 10–14 mm long..................................................................... C. albonitens   
 – Plant loosely floccose-tomentose; basal and lower leaves lyrate; spine 5–12 mm long; achenes deep purple and 10– 11 mm long; pappus deep violet, 5–7 mm long....................................................................................... C. heratensis   
 7 Plant 10–25 cm tall; stem erect to ascending or suberect; basal and lower leaves 10–12 cm long; synflorescence 3–4- cephalous; cilia ca. 1 mm long............................................................................................................... C. microlopha   
– Plant 30–70(–80) cm tall; stem erect; basal and lower leaves (22–) 26–40 cm long; synflorescence 1(–2)-cephalous; cilia 3–5 mm long....................................................................................................................................................... 8  
 8 Plant arachnoid-canescent; all leaves undivided; cauline leaves broadly lanceolate to elliptic, obtuse to subacute at apex; appendages straw-coloured to light brown....................................................................................... C. hellwigii   
 – Plant tomentose-canescent; basal and lower leaves divided; cauline leaves lanceolate or oblong, short acuminate or mucronate at apex; appendages blackish-brown..................................................................................... C. spectabilis   
 9 Involucres subglobose, 25–35 mm wide............................................................................................... C. farsistanica   
– Involucres oblong or ovoid, (17–) 20–25 mm wide.................................................................................................. 10  
10 Flowers purple or dark wine-red............................................................................................................................... 11  
– Flowers yellow.......................................................................................................................................................... 12  
 11 Involucres 20–23 mm long; cilia 5–9 on each side; spine 3–5 mm long, brownish or whitish.................... C. assadii   
 – Involucres 27–32 mm long; cilia 7–15 on each side; spine (3–) 4–8 mm long, dark brown to blackish................................................................................................................................................................................... C. daralagoezica   
 12 Terminal spine 4–11 mm long; appendages concealing a major part of phyllaries; leaves almost pinnatisect or pinnatipartite.................................................................................................................................................. C. phaeopappa   
– Terminal spine 2–5 mm long; appendages only partly concealing the basal part of phyllaries; leaves often simple or with few divisions..................................................................................................................................................... 13  
 13 Stem erect; basal leaves shorter than stem; upper cauline leaves shorter than capitula; pappus 13–16 mm long.......................................................................................................................................................................... C. indistincta   
 – Stem arcuate-ascending or suberect, sometimes strongly abbreviated; basal leaves almost longer than stem; upper cauline leaves longer than capitula; pappus ca. 22–24 mm long................................................................. C. aucheri
description: Published as part of Ranjbar, Massoud & Negaresh, Kazem, 2013, A revision of Centaurea sect. Phaeopappus (Asteraceae, Cardueae), pp. 1-40 in Phytotaxa 123 (1) on page 3, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.123.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/5084944