Zeltnera venusta

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Zeltnera venusta
Centauriumvenustum.jpg
Status TNC G3.svg
Vulnerable  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Gentianaceae
Genus: Zeltnera
Species:
Z. venusta
Binomial name
Zeltnera venusta
(Gray) G.Mans.

Zeltnera venusta is a species of flowering plant in the gentian family known by the common names California centaury, charming centaury and canchalagua. This centaury is native to much of California, southern Oregon, and northwest Baja California.

It grows in many habitats up to elevations around 1300 meters. It is an annual wildflower rarely reaching half a meter in height. The pointed oval leaves grow opposite on the thin stems. The inflorescence is tipped with one or more showy star-shaped flowers, each with a white-centered magenta corolla about 2 centimeters wide.

Until 2004, it was placed in genus Centaurium as Centaurium venustum. [2]

References

  1. "NatureServe Explorer". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  2. Mansion, Guilhem (2004). "A new classification of the polyphyletic genus Centaurium Hill (Chironiinae, Gentianaceae): description of the New World endemic Zeltnera, and reinstatement of Gyrandra Griseb. and Schenkia Griseb". Taxon. 53 (3): 719–740. Bibcode:2004Taxon..53..719M. doi:10.2307/4135447. JSTOR   4135447.