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Centaurea salonitana Vis.

Flora Europaea xeric steppe species, sometimes acting like a ruderal Circumpontic (not also a Pannonian element, being introduced only in Hungary and Serbia) Festucion valesiacae mostly in Agropyretum pectinifomae, Artemisio-Kochion sometimes in Artemisietea vulgaris from the steppe zone R34 habitats, mostly in R3418 in Romania frequent in Dobrudja mostly in the steppe zone very rare and localized in the Curvature Subcarpathians         A xeric steppe plant which can be seen only in Dobrudja (quite frequent in the steppe areas) the Curvature Subcarpathians (one locality) and in the Moldavian Plateau (two localities) in Romania. This species can act also as a saxicole plant in the Balkan Peninsula and also as a ruderal element. Would you like to see some related species of Centaurea salonitana Vis. which do not grow in the flora of Romania? See here Centaurea urvillei from western Turkey andCentaurea nicolai  from Mojntenegro. The species is spread across the whole Balkan Peninsula, Asia Minor and in Krym. It is said to be traditionally used in the treatment of tumors in the Balkans and Asia Minor . A very curious plant called Centaurea X vacarestiensis Prodan, a supposed hybrid between Centaurea orientalis L. and Centaurea salonitana Vis. (both not present there) is described from Vacaresti (Dambovita county) probably from the front of the terrace of the river Dambovita, covered with xeric vegetation. This should be recovered as it can represent a totally new species having very special characters. An attempt of us  to do this in 1997, however not a thorough one, failed to produce any result. Pictures taken from outside Romania, at Caliacra cape, Bulgaria, August 2010. dr. Alexandru Badarau, alexandru@transsilvanica.net Pictures from Dolojman Cape, Tulcea county, Dobrudja 7th of August 2006 dr. Alexandru Badarau, alexandru@transsilvanica.com   Pictures taken from Mangalia, west of Limanu, Constanta county in Dobrudja, on 6th of August 2006 dr. Alexandru Badarau, alexandru@transsilvanica.com