Centaurea pratensis

[BubikolRamios]

if you click first 3 links , it appears there is no valid Centaurea pratensis
http://www.eu-nomen.eu/portal/search.ph ... Adv=Search

but next 3 links are valid, subsp. of something that does not exists ?

then, alpenflora, it appears Centaurea pratensis exists :

— Hüllbl.anhängsel wie die Hüllbl. braun, oft mit blassen Fransen; Hülle einfarbig
braun. Formenreich. Wohl Bastardschwärme C. jacea agg. X C. nigra agg. Wiesen;
submed.-montan; z. (incl. C. decipiens THUILL., C. subjacea (BECK) HAYEK, C. macr-
optilon BORBAS, C. microptilon GREN. & GODR., C. debeauxii GREN. & GODR., C.
thuillieri DOSTAL)...................................................Bastard-F., C. pratensis THUILL. s.l.

AFAIK this means there are various crosses between C. jacea agg. X C. nigra agg., listed between (), but unsure if that then means C. pratensis is a synonim for all between () ?


... ?

[Kraichgauer]

The name "Centaurea (x) pratensis" was used for a long time for hybrid swarms between C. nigra and C. jacea, and its use persists as of today in some books and keys.
But the problem is that the name itself is of doubtful identity and not really well typified. Therefore if you recognize smaller units within the hybrid swarm, it becomes very difficult or impossible to say what real "C. pratensis" is.
In Germany most experts (not all) nowadays recognize smaller units (like thuillieri, pannonica, timbalii...) and discard the use of "pratensis".
But in the future, if the trend continues because of widespread introduction and mixing of the whole group, it might be necessary to go back to Thomas Götz interpretation and call everything just inseparable "pratensis".

Michael