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Project Noah Nature School
Centaurea cyanus
It is an annual plant growing to 16-35 inches tall, with grey-green branched stems. The leaves are lanceolate, 1–4 cm long. The flowers are most commonly an intense blue colour, produced in flowerheads (capitula) 1.5–3 cm diameter, with a ring of a few large, spreading ray florets surrounding a central cluster of disc florets. The blue pigment is protocyanin, which in roses is red.
It used to grow as a weed in crop fields. It is now endangered in its native habitat by agricultural intensification, particularly over-use of herbicides.
Spotted on Jul 11, 2012
Submitted on Jul 28, 2012
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