Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 127, July 2015, pp. 9-15.

9 A New Species of the genus Centaurea (Asteraceae) from Jerusalem, Palestine By: Daoud Ibrahim Al-Hali Botany Teacher at the Gifted School and the Ras Al-Amoud Comprehensive School, Al-Quds (Jerusalem), Palestine Address: P.O. Box 51342, Al-Quds (Jerusalem). E-mail: [email protected] Abstract A new species of the genus Centaurea L. (Asteraceae) from Palestine, Centaurea anathoth Hali, 2015 is described, illustrated and mapped. The distribution and ecology of this new species is presented and discussed. It is a distinct species among the other Flora Palaestina species belonging to Centaurea. ‫ نم يضبق‬Centaurea )‫ُلخص : تم في ٌري اندزاصت تىاَل وُع جديد مه جىش عشبت انمسيس (انمساز‬ ‫م‬ ً‫تصىيفً عهميا ً مه قبم . َقد تم َصف انىُع َتفضيس خصائصً . َيعتبس ٌرا انىُع مه انمسيس متميزا‬ ّ‫خاصت في شكم أَزاقً ذاث انحجم انكبيس مقازوت مع األوُاع األخسِ مه وفش انجىش . تم انعثُز عه‬ ‫) في بهدة عىاتا شمال شسقي مديىت انقدس انشسيف ، عهّ يد‬Centaurea anathoth ‫وُع (مسيس عىاتا‬ .5102 )‫انباحث داَد إبساٌيم انٍاني في شٍس ويضان (أبسيم‬ Keywords: New species, Centaurea, Centaurea anathoth, Asteraceae, NE Jerusalem, Al-Quds, Anata, Palestine, Flora Palaestina Introduction The genus Centaurea L. is one of the largest genera in Asteraceae. The number of species included in this genus ranges between 200 - 700 species depending on the classification (Ӧzler et al. 2009) making it one of the largest genera in the family (Garcia-Jacas et al. 2001). It's distributed in Asia, North Africa, North America and Europe (Köse and Alan, 2013); mainly in the N. hemisphere (Feinbrun-Dothan, 2000). Centaurea is a taxonomically difficult genus (Ranjbar et al. 2012). Field studies resulted in the discovery of many new species of Centaurea during the recent decades (Negaresh, 2014). Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 127 – July 2015