Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 127, July 2015, pp. 9-15. | Page 3

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Description
Biennial herb. 20-30 cm. Divaricately branched from base. Leaves:
basal leaves (3-7* 6-7 cm), Cauline (belonging to or arising from a stem
or axis) leaves sessile; upper leaves (4-6* 0.5-1 cm) serrulate to entire.
Serrate-dentate, often spiny-toothed. Connate at base, appressed-hairy,
oblong-lanceolate, entire or serrate. Upper leaves linear, entire. Petioles:
of basal leaves villose, densely whitish, 6-9 cm. Petioles of middle leaves
2-3 cm. Upper leaves: very short petioles less than 1 cm. Stems: erect,
densely adpressed whitish tomentose 20-25 cm high, forming tufts,
slightly ascending. Branched above with 3-9 terminal spiny capitula,
branches 2 to 5 cm.
Involucral bracts like Centaurea iberica: glabrous, leathery, narrowly
white-membranous, ending in a strong canaliculated spine flanked at
base by 2-3 pairs of spinules. Appendage: (3.1-3.5* 0.7-1.2cm).
Composed of 10-14 spines. Spines of intermediate involucral bracts 3-5
mm broad at base; longest spines of the head 2-3 cm. (similar to
Centaurea iberica) (Feinbrun-Dothan 2000). Rootstocks: Woody
rootstocks, densely branched. Flowering: April - July. Flowers: Strong
yellow flowering heads 1-2 cm in diameter, Radiant.

Type Specimen:
Palestine, Al-Quds (Jerusalem): North-East, Anata Village, 5 km
distance, elevation 765 meter above sea level, mountainous area, chalky
soil, roadside (31°80.831'N, 35°25.230'E). See figure 4 that shows
detailed location of Centaurea anathoth Hali, 2015 in NE Jerusalem and
two other dominate species of Centaurea.

Figure 2. Appendage and upper leaves of Centaurea anathoth Hali, 2015
Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 127 – July 2015