Flora of the Hawaiian Islands
Literature for Centaurium erythraea
Wagner et al., 1990, 1999.
   Gentianaceae -- The Gentian Family Bibliography
      Centaurium erythraea
General Information
DistributionNative to Eurasia, widely naturalized.
Habit
Biennial herbs (3-)10-50 cm tall; stems usually solitary, occasionally several, branched in the upper part.
Leaves
Rosette leaves obovate to elliptic, 1-5 cm long, 0.8-2 cm wide, 3-7-nerved, apex usually obtuse; cauline leaves much smaller, oblong-elliptic or occasionally elliptic, 0.8-2(-3) cm long, 0.2-0.8(-1.2) cm wide, 3-nerved, apex usually acute.
Flowers
Flowers numerous in corymbose cymes, bracts linear to linear-lanceolate; calyx 3-4 mm long; corolla pink, rarely white, the tube 6-8 mm long, the lobes 3-4 mm long.
Fruit
Capsules cylindrical, ca. 7-8 mm long.
Seeds
Seeds numerous, pale brown, ca. 0.2 mm long.
Chromosomes
2n = 14-20, 40, 42
Notes
Record for subspecies has not been added; subspecies need to be dealt with.