Catananche L.

Cupid's Dart

Greek katanangke — powerful incentive, as these plants were used in love potions by Greek women.

Annual or perennial herbs. Stems erect, solitary or few. Leaves mostly basal, margins entire or sparsely toothed. Capitula radiate, terminal, solitary or in open corymbs, long-stalked. Involucral bracts in several rows, overlapping, membranous except for the dark midvein that is prolonged into a short bristle. Receptacle with scales, flat. Florets bisexual, all ligulate, yellow or blue. Achenes terete or obconical, 5-angled, hairy. Pappus of a few scales prolonged into barbed bristles.

Membranous involucral bracts with dark midveins; pappus scales elongated into barbed bristles.

6 species from the Mediterranean region and the Middle East.

Source: Jeanes, J. (2002). Asteraceae. In: Spencer, R.. Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 4. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 3. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.

Hero image
kingdom Plantae
phylum   Tracheophyta
class    Magnoliopsida
superorder     Asteranae
order      Asterales
family       Asteraceae
Higher taxa
Subordinate taxa
species         Catananche caerulea L.