What is "centaurea calcitrapa"

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).

Centaurea calcitrapa is a species of flowering plant known by several common names, including red star-thistle and purple starthistle. It is native to Europe but is rarely found there, it is known across the globe as an introduced species and often a noxious weed. The species name calcitrapa comes from the word caltrop, a type of weapon covered in sharp spikes.

In western Crete, Greece a local variety called gourounaki (γουρουνάκι - little pig) has its leaves eaten boiled by the locals. A south Italian variety of the species is also traditionally consumed by ethnic Albanians ( Arbëreshë people) in the Vulture area (southern Italy). In the Arbëreshë communities in Lucania the young whorls of Centaurea calcitrapa are boiled and fried in mixtures with other weedy non cultivated greens. According to a research by A. Pieroni, V. Janiak, C. M. Dürr, S. Lüdeke, E. Trachsel and M. Heinrich (2002) in the Centre for Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy ( The School of Pharmacy, University of London) "the antioxidant activity of the young whorls of Centaurea calcitrapa, both in the DPPH and in the lipid peroxidation inhibition assays, are very interesting and the species should be investigated phytochemically and biochemically focusing on these properties". Extracts from Centaurea calcitrapa found to have significant xanthine oxidase (XO)-inhibiting activity and showed significant antioxidant activity too.