Centaurium erythraea

Centaurium erythraea is a species of flowering plant in the gentian family known by the names common centaury and European centaury. It is also commonly known as “feverfoullie”, “gentian” or “centaury”.^[2]

Centaurium erythraea
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Gentianales
Family:	Gentianaceae
Genus:	Centaurium
Species:	C. erythraea
Binomial name
Centaurium erythraea Rafn
Subspecies[1]
12; see text
Synonyms[1]
List Centaurella dichotoma Delarbre Centaurium capitatum (Willd. ex Roem. & Schult.) Borbás Centaurium corymbosum (Dulac) Druce Centaurium erythraea var. capitatum (Willd. ex Roem. & Schult.) Melderis Centaurium erythraea var. fasciculare (Duby) Ubsdell Centaurium erythraea var. latifolium (Sm.) T.C.G.Rich Centaurium erythraea var. laxum (Boiss.) Mouterde ex Charpin & Greuter Centaurium erythraea var. masclansii O.Bolòs & Vigo Centaurium erythraea var. subcapitatum (Corb.) Ubsdell Centaurium erythraea var. sublitorale (Wheldon & Salmon) Ubsdell Centaurium latifolium (Sm.) Druce Centaurium lomae (Gilg) Druce Centaurium minus Moench Centaurium minus var. austriacum (Ronniger ex Fritsch) Soó Centaurium minus var. transiens (Wittr.) Soó Centaurium umbellatum f. album Sigunov Centaurium umbellatum var. fasciculare (Duby) Gilmour Centaurium vulgare Rafn Chironia centaurium (L.) F.W.Schmidt Chironia centaurium var. fascicularis Duby Chironia erythraea Schousb. Erythraea capitata Willd. ex Roem. & Schult. Erythraea centaurium (L.) Pers. Erythraea centaurium f. itatiaiaensis Dusén Erythraea corymbosa Dulac Erythraea germanica Hoffmanns. & Link Erythraea latifolia Sm. Erythraea lomae Gilg Erythraea vulgaris Gray Gentiana centaurium L. Gentiana gerardii F.W.Schmidt Gentiana palustris Lam. Gonipia linearis Raf. Hippocentaurea centaurium Schult. Libadion variabile Bubani Xolemia palustris (DC.) Raf.

Centaurium erythraea, as depicted in 6th-century Leiden manuscript of Pseudo-Apuleius' Herbarius

Description

This is an upright biennial herb which reaches half a meter in height. It grows from a small basal rosette and bolts a leafy, upright stem which may branch. The triangular leaves are arranged oppositely on the stem and the upright inflorescences emerge from the stem and grow parallel to it, sometimes tangling with the foliage. Each inflorescence may contain many flowers. The petite flower is pinkish-lavender and about a centimeter across, flat-faced with yellow anthers. The fruit is a cylindrical capsule.

It flowers from June until September.

Distribution and habitat

This centaury is a widespread plant of Europe (including Scotland, Sweden and Mediterranean countries^[2]) and parts of western Asia and northern Africa. It has also naturalised in parts of North America,^[2] New Zealand, and eastern Australia, where it is an introduced species. It grows in fields and roadsides.^[3]

Subspecies

12 subspecies are accepted.^[1]

• Centaurium erythraea subsp. apertum (H.Lindb.) Greuter – Morocco and Algeria
• Centaurium erythraea subsp. bernardii (Maire & Sauvage) Greuter – Morocco
• Centaurium erythraea subsp. boissieri (Willk.) Z.Díaz – south-central and southern Spain
• Centaurium erythraea subsp. enclusense (O.Bolòs, Molin. & P.Monts.) O.Bolòs & Vigo – Balearic Islands (Menorca)
• Centaurium erythraea subsp. erythraea – Azores, Morocco, and Europe to the Caucasus, Turkey, Syria, and Iran, and Yemen
• Centaurium erythraea subsp. grandiflorum (Biv.) Melderis – Iberian Peninsula, Corsica, Sicily, and Greece (Ionian Islands)
• Centaurium erythraea subsp. limoniiforme (Greuter) Greuter – Greece
• Centaurium erythraea subsp. majus (Hoffmanns. & Link) M.Laínz – France, Spain, Portugal, Sardinia, Sicily, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia
• Centaurium erythraea subsp. rhodense (Boiss. & Reut.) Melderis – Morocco and Tunisia, Corsica and Sardinia to the eastern Mediterranean
• Centaurium erythraea subsp. rumelicum (Velen.) Melderis – France, Corsica, Sardinia, Italy, Albania, Greece, Crete, and Bulgaria
• Centaurium erythraea subsp. suffruticosum (Griseb.) Greuter – France, Spain, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia
• Centaurium erythraea subsp. turcicum (Velen.) Melderis – Portugal and Morocco; Eastern Mediterranean to Ukraine, Central Asia, and Pakistan

Uses

The European centaury is mainly prepared as a tisane for use in traditional medicine.^[4][5]

Chemical constituents

C. erythraea contains phenolic acids, including ferulic and sinapic acids, as well as sterols (as brassicasterol and stigmasterol), secoiridoid and the glycosides, swertiamarin, and sweroside.^[2]

Gallery

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  Centaurium erythraea
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  Flowers
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  Plant