Centaurea kirmacii

Perennial with a woody base, forming small cushions with numerous simple erect or ascending stems, 7–15 cm. Leaves undivided, ovate or spatulate, undulate, densely grey tomentose and slightly attenuate towards base; basal leaves spatulate, usually withered at fruiting, shortly petiolate, 2–5.5 × 0.5–1.2 cm; lower stem leaves spatulate to narrowly ovate, 1.5–2.5 × 0.6–1.2 cm, subpetiolate, acuminate and with a weak spine , median and upper leaves similar, ovate, 14–20 × 7–11 mm, with a strong spine , sessile. Capitula discoid, solitary at end of branches. Involucre 20–23 × 14–15 mm, densely hairy at base, narrowly ovoid-oblong; outer phyllaries oblong-ovate, 4–5 × 3.5–4 mm; median phyllaries oblong-lanceolate, 8–12 × 4.5–5 mm; inner phyllaries linear to linear-lanceolate, 14–16 × 3–4 mm; appendages acicular, minutely narrowly triangular, not decurrent, straw-coloured to creamish in centre, without cilia and ending in a very strong spine, 5–10 mm long. Florets yellow, 25–27 mm long; longitudinally with darkish-red stria, corolla tube glabrous, 14–16 mm long, lobes 10–12 mm, linear. Filaments 2.5–3 mm long, puberulent; anthers 8–9 mm long. Style 24–26 mm long, shaft 21–23 mm long, stigma 3–3.5 mm. Achene obovoid, 4–4.5 × 1.8–2.0 mm long, shiny creamy or creamish-yellow, glabrous; pappus simple, 8–10 mm long, scabrous, creamish-yellow.

Endemic.