Plant Name
Scientific Name: Centaurium arizonicum
Synonyms: Centaurium calycosum var. arizonicum, Erythraea calycosa var. arizonica
Common Name: Arizona Centaury
Plant Characteristics
Duration: Annual, Biennial
Growth Habit: Herb/Forb
Arizona Native Status: Native
Habitat: Riparian. It grows along streams and in moist, shady areas in the desert and at elevations up to 6000 feet (1829 m) in the mountains.
Flower Color: Pink
Flowering Season: Spring, Summer
Height: To 2 feet (61 cm) tall
Description: The attractive flowers are 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide and have 5, pink, narrowly oval lobes, a white center, and bright yellow anthers. The leaves clasp the stems and are green, succulent, opposite, and lance-shaped. The stems are green and upright.
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Asteridae
Order: Gentianales
Family: Gentianaceae – Gentian family
Genus: Centaurium Hill – centaury
Species: Centaurium arizonicum (A. Gray) A. Heller – Arizona centaury
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