Centaurea (pronounced /ËŒsÉ›ntÉâ€Ã‹ÂˈriËÂÉ™/ "Cen-tau-ré-a") is a genus of at least some 350, if not 500 to 600 species of herbaceous thistle-like flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Although the genus' distribution is Holarctic, most are native to the Palaearctic, where the Middle East and surrounding regions are particular species-rich. Common names for this genus are starthistles, knapweeds, centaureas and the more ambiguous "bluets"; a vernacular name used for these plants in parts of England is "loggerheads"....
