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Centaurea melitensis - L.

Common Name Maltese Star Thistle
Family Asteraceae or Compositae
USDA hardiness 6-9
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Wasteplaces and roadsides[17].
Range Mediterranean region, eastwards to Greece and Tunisia. A not infrequent casual in Britain[17].
Edibility Rating    (0 of 5)
Other Uses    (0 of 5)
Weed Potential Yes
Medicinal Rating    (1 of 5)
Care (info)
Fully Hardy Well drained soil Moist Soil Full sun
Centaurea melitensis Maltese Star Thistle


http://www.hear.org/starr/
Centaurea melitensis Maltese Star Thistle
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. Vol. 3: 559.

 

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Summary


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of flower
Centaurea melitensis is a ANNUAL growing to 0.5 m (1ft 8in).
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 7. It is in flower from July to September, and the seeds ripen from September to October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees, flies, Lepidoptera (Moths & Butterflies). The plant is self-fertile.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Plant Habitats

 Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

None known

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.


The plant is used in the treatment of the kidneys[257].

References   More on Medicinal Uses

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Other Uses

None known

Special Uses

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

We do not have information on this species, but the following notes are based on the closely related C. solstitialis. Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[1, 200]. Prefers a well-drained fertile soil and a sunny position[200]. Tolerates dry, low fertility and alkaline soils[200]. A good bee and butterfly plant the flowers are rich in nectar[171]. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[233].

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:

Fahrenheit:

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Plant Propagation

Seed - sow April in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer. If you have sufficient seed it can be sown in situ in the spring, and an autumn swing in situ might also be worth trying.

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Maltese star-thistle, tocalote or tocolote, spotted knapweed, Malta starthistle.

Native Range

EUROPE: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece (incl. Crete), Croatia, Italy (incl. Sardinia, Sicily), Montenegro, Spain (incl. Baleares), France (incl. Corsica), Portugal AFRICA: Algeria, Libya (northwest), Morocco, Tunisia

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

This plant can be weedy or invasive. US: Nevada - Noxious weed. New Mexico - Class B noxious weed.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status : This taxon has not yet been assessed.

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
Centaurea acaulis Perennial0.0 -  LMHNDM001
Centaurea calcitrapaCommon Star Thistle, Red star-thistleBiennial0.6 0-0  LMHNDM11 
Centaurea chamaerhaponticum  0.0 -  LMHNDM20 
Centaurea cyanusCornflower, Garden cornflower, Blue Bottle, CornflowerAnnual1.0 0-0 FLMHNDM222
Centaurea depressaIranian knapweedAnnual/Perennial0.3 6-9  LMHNDM20 
Centaurea ibericaIberian Star Thistle, Iberian knapweedBiennial0.9 5-9  LMHNDM120
Centaurea jaceaBrown KnapweedPerennial0.6 5-9  LMHNDM110
Centaurea montanaMountain Cornflower, Perennial cornflower, Mountain BluetPerennial0.5 3-9 FLMHNDM023
Centaurea nigraBlack Knapweed, Lesser knapweedPerennial0.6 4-8  LMHNDM120
Centaurea raphanina Perennial0.0 -  LMHNDM10 
Centaurea scabiosaGreater KnapweedPerennial0.9 4-8  LMHNDM02 
Centaurea solstitialisSt. Barnaby's Thistle, Yellow star-thistleAnnual/Biennial0.6 5-9  LMHNDM110

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

Expert comment

Author

L.

Botanical References

17

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