Callicephalus

Callicephalus is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, containing the single species Callicephalus nitens. It is native to the middle and low mountains of the Caucasus,^[1] where it has been recorded in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, and Turkey.^[2]

Callicephalus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae
Subfamily:	Carduoideae
Tribe:	Cardueae
Subtribe:	Centaureinae
Genus:	Callicephalus C.A.Mey.
Species:	C. nitens
Binomial name
Callicephalus nitens (Willd.) C.A.Mey.

The genus is considered part of the Rhaponticum group in the Asteraceae tribe Cardueae, but according to molecular analyses it has no close relatives. Its isolation in the phylogeny of the tribe suggests it is a relict taxon, one of many relict plants that grow in the Caucasus.^[1]