Centaurea hekimhanensis

Hekimhan gökbaşı

Perennial herbs, 6-16.5 cm tall, root not thickened and stolon present. Flowering stem lateral at the base of a rosette, floccose-tomentose, decumbent rarely ascending, unbranched, 0.5-1 mm diameter at the base. Cauline leaves decurrent, sessile, linear or lanceolate, with tomentose hairs, obtuse, with prominent veins, stem leaves linear, sessile, acute, 1.3-2.9 × 0.1-0.2 cm, basal leaves decurrent, sessile, linear or lanceolate, with tomentose hairs, obtuse, 1.2-2.8 × 0.1-0.2 cm, rosette leaves always undivided, sessile, lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, obtuse 2.5-5.3 × 0.1-0.6 cm. Capitula solitary at the ends of the stems, involucre cylindrical, 14-17 × 9-12 mm. Phyllaries usually with 4-5 series. Appendages a narrow brown or  blackish brown border, membranous and glabrous, laceration absent, weakly decurrent, with brown border and 8-9 silvery cilia, cilia 1-2.5 mm, outer appendages ovate, 5-5.5 × 3-4.5 mm, median appendages ovate-orbicular, 8-11 × 4-5 mm , inner appendages linear-lanceolate, 12-13 × 1.5-2 mm; outer phyllaries ovate, 2-3 × 1-1.5 mm, median phyllaries lanceolate, 6-8 × 1.6-2 mm, inner phyllaries linear-lanceolate, 8.5-9.5 × 1-2 mm. Florets rose-purple, peripheral florets slightly radiant, 20-23 mm long, with 5 acute and linear-filiform lobes, 8-10 mm, central florets hermaphrodite, 12-14 mm long, lobes 5-6 mm, anther tubes rose-purple, style usually exceeds anther tube, corolla usually longer than anther tube or of the same size, corolla usually smaller than style. Achenes 3.4-3.9 × 1.5- 1.8 mm, oblong-ovoid, brown, rounded at base, hilum lateral-basal and densely hairy. Pappus double, scabrous, brown, 1.2-1.7 mm, the bristles of the inner rows shorter, 0.6-0.8 mm.

Phenology. C. hekimhanensis flowers from June to July and mature fruits are produced from July to August.

Endemic.