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The Collaborative International Dictionary
Centaurea

Thistle \This"tle\, n. [OE. thistil, AS. [thorn]istel; akin to D. & G. distel, OHG. distila, distil, Icel. [thorn]istill, Sw. tistel, Dan. tidsel; of uncertain origin.] (Bot.) Any one of several prickly composite plants, especially those of the genera Cnicus, Craduus, and Onopordon. The name is often also applied to other prickly plants.

Blessed thistle, Carduus benedictus, so named because it was formerly considered an antidote to the bite of venomous creatures.

Bull thistle, Cnicus lanceolatus, the common large thistle of neglected pastures.

Canada thistle, Cnicus arvensis, a native of Europe, but introduced into the United States from Canada.

Cotton thistle, Onopordon Acanthium.

Fuller's thistle, the teasel.

Globe thistle, Melon thistle, etc. See under Globe, Melon, etc.

Pine thistle, Atractylis gummifera, a native of the Mediterranean region. A vicid gum resin flows from the involucre.

Scotch thistle, either the cotton thistle, or the musk thistle, or the spear thistle; -- all used national emblems of Scotland.

Sow thistle, Sonchus oleraceus.

Spear thistle. Same as Bull thistle.

Star thistle, a species of Centaurea. See Centaurea.

Torch thistle, a candelabra-shaped plant of the genus Cereus. See Cereus.

Yellow thistle, Cincus horridulus.

Thistle bird (Zo["o]l.), the American goldfinch, or yellow-bird ( Spinus tristis); -- so called on account of its feeding on the seeds of thistles. See Illust. under Goldfinch.

Thistle butterfly (Zo["o]l.), a handsomely colored American butterfly ( Vanessa cardui) whose larva feeds upon thistles; -- called also painted lady.

Thistle cock (Zo["o]l.), the corn bunting ( Emberiza militaria). [Prov. Eng.]

Thistle crown, a gold coin of England of the reign of James I., worth four shillings.

Thistle finch (Zo["o]l.), the goldfinch; -- so called from its fondness for thistle seeds. [Prov. Eng.]

Thistle funnel, a funnel having a bulging body and flaring mouth.

Centaurea

Centaurea \Cen`tau*re"a\, n. [NL. See Centaury.] (Bot.) A large genus of composite plants, related to the thistles and including the cornflower or bluebottle ( Centaurea Cyanus) and the star thistle ( Centaurea Calcitrapa).

Wikipedia
Centaurea
For the race horse, see Australasian Oaks or Storm Queen Stakes. ''"Basket flower" and spelling variants redirect here. In Australia, this usually means the unrelated plant '' Adenanthos obovatus.

Centaurea is a genus of between 350 and 600 species of herbaceous thistle-like flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Members of the genus are found only north of the equator, mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere; the Middle East and surrounding regions are particularly species-rich. Common names for this genus are centaury, centory, starthistles, knapweeds, centaureas and the more ambiguous "bluets"; a vernacular name used for these plants in parts of England is "loggerheads" ( common knapweed). The Plectocephalus group – possibly a distinct genus – is known as basketflowers. "Cornflowers" is used for a few species, but that term more often specifically means C. cyanus (sometimes also called "basket flower"). The common name "centaury" is sometimes used, although this also refers to the unrelated plant genus Centaurium.

Usage examples of "centaurea".

Waldsteiniana, Centaurea montana, Centranthus ruber, Coreopsis lanceolata, Cornus canadensis, Corydalis lutea, Dianthus deltoides, D.

Waldsteiniana, Centaurea montana, Centranthus ruber, Chrysanthemum, Cichorium Intybus, Clethra alnifolia, Coreopsis auriculata, C.

In summer, I have purple floods of centaurea, feathery red heads of monarda, cheery yellow petals of coreopsis, pools of sage, and oceans of black-eyed Susans.

Centaurea montana, Centranthus ruber, Chrysanthemum, Cichorium Intybus, Clethra alnifolia, Colchicum autumnale, C.

Centaurea nigra, the Black Knapweed, is a perennial, with an unwinged, erect stem, 6 inches to 3 feet high, generally freely branched in the upper part.