home   flora of romania  endangered species of transylvania  endangered habitats of transylvania

Centaurea stereophylla Besser

Flora Europaea mesoxeric forest-steppe grassland element west Pontic Festucion valesiacae R34 habitats forest-steppe areas from southern Romania in local and usually very small populations           This extremely variable species with different colors of flowers and different habits of the individuals in different populations can be found only in the forest-steppe areas from southern Romania. Its range is a quite typical west-Pontic one In our opinion this species stands between the subgenera Acrocentron and Acrolophus being intermediate between the two categories of species. The appendages of the involucral bracts and the fact that the anthodia remains campanulate and not expanded totally when the species spreads its fruits point towards Acrolophus while all the other characters point towards Acrocentron. The pictures below show the image of a single individual found east of Deleni, Constanta county on 7th of August 2006. The habit of the individual is very strong, being tall like the one of a Centaurea apiculata ssp. spinulosa. However the appendages of the involucral bracts clearly pointed toward Centaurea stereophylla but usually the individuals in the populations of this species are much smaller and with ascendent stems. Worth to say is the fact that also the appendages of the involucral bracts and the habit of this individual reminds us a lot about the ones in Centaurea rupestris L. though this species has primarly a very different color of the florets (bright yellow). dr. Alexandru Badarau, alexandru@transsilvanica.com