
182200 | 504807 | 850E48 | A94A74 | BD9A02 | D2B492 | EB91C5 | FFD100 |
Centaurium erythraea (NL: Echt duizendguldenkruid / EN: Common centaury / DE: Echte Tausendgüldenkraut / FR: Petite centaurée) is a species of flowering plant in the gentianaceae family. This centaury is a widespread plant of Europe and parts of western Asia and northern Africa. It has also naturalised in parts of North America and throughout eastern Australia, where it is an introduced species. C. erythraea is an erect biennial herb which reaches half a meter in height. It grows from a small basal rosette and bolts a leafy, erect stem which may branch. The triangular leaves are arranged oppositely on the stem and the erect inflorescences emerge from the stem and grow parallel to it, sometimes tangling with the foliage. Each inflorescence may contain many flowers. The petite flower is pinkish-lavender and about a centimeter across, flat-faced with yellow anthers. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, flies and beetles.The plant is also self-fertile. The species prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, well-drained and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant is used as a flavouring in bitter herbal liqueurs and is an ingredient of vermouth but in Flanders strictly protected.
Image: Broechem (BE) - 10/06/2011
© Johan Dierckx
The photos on this site are copyrighted, which prohibits anyone to use them to sell, give away, use in email or newsgroups, use in a homepage or otherwise showing to the public without my explicit, prior, written permission. Please feel free to use the "contact"-button below to contact me with any questions.
All species are photographed in their natural habitat, without cutting or capturing them, and with maximal respect and the least possible disturbance to the environment.
(To see species in the same taxonomic rank (Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus), please use the tags provided with the image. The last tag is the Iso-code for the country where the image was taken. Image-date in DD/MM/YYYY format.)
Please feel free to visit my personal website http://www.diversitasnaturae.be/
Canon EOS 400D
1/400 second
F/4.5
ISO 400
150 mm
plantae
magnoliophyta
magnoliopsida
gentianales
gentianaceae
centaurium
be