''Centaurea depressa'', the low cornflower, is a species of ''

Centaurea ''Centaurea'' () is a genus of over 700 species of herbaceous thistle-like flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Members of the genus are found only north of the equator, mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere; the Middle East and surrounding reg ...

''. It is native to southwestern and central

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

. Its common name is Iranian knapweed. The plant grows to 0.3 m (1 ft) tall and flowers from July to August. It can grow in nutritionally poor soil and is drought tolerant.

Description

Centaurea depressa is an annual plant that grows from 20 to 60 cm tall. Several stems grow from the base of the plant. They are openly branched and have a gray color with short hairs. The leaves are oblong blades that grow 5–10 cm long and have fine hairs on them. The florets are a dark blue.

References

depressa Depressa, population 1,541, is a village or small town in the Salento traditional region of south-east Italy. Administratively it counts as a ''frazione'' of the comune of Tricase,