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Western Centaury - Centaurium exaltatum
Other Names:
Zeltnera exaltata
State Rank Reason (see State Rank above)
Known from one 1890 collection with imprecise location data from Big Horn County, "seven miles south of Custer Station".
General Description
Western Centaury is an annual herb with usually unbranched stems that are 5-25 cm high. The basal leaves are lance-shaped to narrowly elliptic and 5-25 mm long, while those of the stem are longer and narrower. The leaves lack petioles and are opposite each other on the stem. Foliage is glabrous. One to a few erect flowers are borne on 1-4 cm long stalks 1-4 at the top of the stems. The white to light pink flowers have a slender, lobed calyx, 6-9 mm long, which tightly encloses a tubular corolla that flares at the top into 5 spreading petals that are ca. 4 mm long. The 5 stamens are exserted from the corolla tube. The fruit is a slender capsule nearly twice the length of the calyx at maturity.
Phenology
Flowering in August.
Diagnostic Characteristics
Members of the Gentian Family have opposite leaves, glabrous foliage, and tubular corollas with 4-5 equal lobes. Centaurium exaltatum can be distinguished from other members of the family by its long, narrow corolla tube and by its lack of membranous tissue between the calyx lobes. A hand lens may be necessary for positive determination.
Range Comments
BC and eastern WA to MT, south to CA, CO, and NE. Sparse.
Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database
Number of Observations: 2
(Click on the following maps and charts to see full sized version)
Map Help and Descriptions
Relative Density
Recency
(Observations spanning multiple months or years are excluded from time charts)
Habitat
Moist alkaline soil around ponds and streams on the plains.
References
- Additional ReferencesLegend:
View Online Publication
Do you know of a citation we're missing?- Lesica, P., M.T. Lavin, and P.F. Stickney. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. Fort Worth, TX: BRIT Press. viii + 771 p.
Lesica, P., M.T. Lavin, and P.F. Stickney. 2022. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants, Second Edition. Fort Worth, TX: BRIT Press. viii + 779 p.
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