Centaurea melitensis
| Centaurea melitensis | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 7 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Early Fall |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Centaurea melitensis (common name: maltese star thistle)
Propagation: Seed - sow April in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer.
If you have sufficient seed it can be sown in situ in the spring, and an autumn swing in situ might also be worth trying.
Cultivation: We do not have information on this species, but the following notes are based on the closely related C. solstitialis.
Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[1][2]. Prefers a well-drained fertile soil and a sunny position[2]. Tolerates dry, low fertility and alkaline soils[2].
A good bee and butterfly plant the flowers are rich in nectar[3].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[4].
Range: Mediterranean region, eastwards to Greece and Tunisia. A not infrequent casual in Britain[5].
Habitat: Wasteplaces and roadsides[5].
Medicinal: The plant is used in the treatment of the kidneys[6].
Pollinators: Bees, flies, lepidoptera, self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Early Fall-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Hill, Albert. Economic Botany. The Maple Press, 1952.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.