顶羽菊 ding yu ju

Centaurea repens Linnaeus, Sp. Pl., ed. 2, 2: 1293. 1763; Acroptilon australe Iljin; A. picris (Pallas ex Willdenow) C. A. Meyer; A. repens (Linnaeus) Candolle; C. picris Pallas ex Willdenow; Serratula picris (Pallas ex Willdenow) M. Bieberstein.

Herbs 25-70 cm tall. Stems 1 or few, erect, branched from base, densely foliate, arachnoid. Leaves sessile, elliptic, spatulate, or linear, 2-7 × 0.4-1.3 cm, pinnatifid, slightly rigid, grayish green, sparsely arachnoid to glabrescent, margin dentate or entire. Upper leaves often smaller. Capitula many, corymbose to corymbose-paniculate. Involucre ovoid to ellipsoid-ovoid, 5-13 mm in diam. Phyllaries in ca. 6 rows; outer and middle phyllaries ovate to broadly ovate, 3-11 × 2-6 mm, appendaged, basal part green and to a large extent concealed by appendages; appendage of outer phyllaries white, membranous, glabrous, apically ciliate or villous, apex obtuse to acuminate; inner phyllaries lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, ca. 13 × 2-3 mm; appendage of inner phyllaries small, apically densely villous. Corolla ca. 1.4 cm. Achene yellowish to pale brown, narrowly obovoid, 3.5-4 mm, apex rounded. Pappus elements 8-10 mm, shortly plumose at apex, easily falling off at maturity. Fl. and fr. May-Sep. 2n = 26*.

Mountain slopes, hills, waste places, farmlands, plains; 600-2600 m. Gansu, Hebei, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Qinghai, N Shaanxi, N Shanxi, Xinjiang [Afghanistan, Kashmir, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan; SW Asia, Europe].