Centaurea melitensis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Centaurea
Species:
C. melitensis
Binomial name
Centaurea melitensis

Centaurea melitensis (called Maltese star-thistle[1][2] in Europe, tocalote or tocolote in western North America) is an annual plant in the family Asteraceae, 1 to 11 decimetres (4 to 43 in) high, with resin-dotted leaves and spine-tipped phyllaries. This plant is native to the Mediterranean region of Europe and Africa. It was introduced to North America in the 18th century; the first documented occurrence in California is in the adobe of a building constructed in San Fernando in 1797. It is also naturalized on a number of Pacific islands.

Conservation

It is considered rare on the Maltese Islands, being listed in the Red Data Book.[3]

References

  1. ↑ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  2. ↑ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Centaurea melitensis". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
  3. ↑ "Centaurea melitensis (Maltese Star-Thistle)". maltawildplants.com. 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2021.

University of California, Davis, Agricultural and Natural Resources Archived 2006-02-06 at the Wayback Machine


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