Nearctica - Eastern Wildflowers - Gentianaceae - Umbellate Centaury (Centaurium erythraeae)

Umbellate Centaury

(Centaurium erythraeae)

Color Drawing: O. W. Thome (1885-1905), Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz.

Line Drawing: Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, Second Edition.

Centaurium pulchellum

The flower stalks of Beautiful Centaury are distinctly present, not small or absent as in Umbellate Centaury. The flowers of Umbellate Centaury are darker and less pink than those of Beautiful Centaury.

Umbellate Centaury (Centaurium erythraeae)

Alien: Native of Europe.

Identification: Flowers rose-purple, tubular with 5 spreading petal lobes. Sepals long, forming a long tube containing the corolla. Flowers with flower stalks absent to nearly absent, forming flat-topped clusters at the top of the plant. Leaves ovate, opposite in pairs. Plant 2 to 12 inches in height.

Distribution: Throughout most of the eastern United States and southern Canada, but local. Also occurs in the Pacific Northwest.

Habitat: Umbellate Centaury is a weed found in fields, empty lots, and roadsides.

Flowering period: July to September.

Umbellate Centaury (Centaurium erythraeae)

Similar Species:

Beautiful Centaury (Centaurium pulchellum)

Similar Species