Israel wildflowers: Blush Centaury-thistle

Centaurea crocodylium, Centaurea heterocarpa, Blush Centaury-thistle,

Hebrew: דרדר גדול-פרחים, Arabic: القنطريون التمساحي


Scientific name:		Centaurea crocodylium L.
Synonym name:		Centaurea heterocarpa Boiss.
Common name:		Blush Centaury-thistle
Hebrew name:		דרדר גדול-פרחים
Arabic name:		القنطريون التمساحي
Plant Family:		Compositae / Asteraceae, מורכבים


Life form:		Annual
Spinescence:		Bracts
Stems:		45cm high; erect, sparingly branched
Leaves:		Alternate, rosette, dissected once, dentate or serrate
Flowers:		Pink
Fruits / pods:		Hairy cypselae
Flowering Period:		May, June
Habitat:		Batha, Phrygana
Distribution:		Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Montane vegetation of Mt. Hermon
Chorotype:		Mediterranean
Summer shedding:		Ephemeral

Derivation of the botanical name:

Centaurea, gets its name from the centaur, Chiron, who is said in mythology to have taught us the healing power of herbs.

crocodylium, kroko,pebble; deilos, worm, or man, pebble-worm.
heterocarpa, diversely fruited.
The Hebrew name: דרדר, dardar, from Aramaic: דרדרא, dardara; Arabic: דרדאר, darda’ar. (Gen. 3:18, Hos. 10:8). In modern Arabic shauket el-dardar is applied to the star thistles or knapweeds.

The standard author abbreviation L. is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy.
The standard author abbreviation Boiss. is used to indicate Pierre Edmond Boissier (1810–1885), a Swiss botanist, explorer and mathematician.

_{Location: Golan, Banias}