Cephalaria

Cephalaria
File:Cephalaria gigantea 2.jpg
Cephalaria gigantea Tatarian cephalaria
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Dipsacales
Family:	Caprifoliaceae
Genus:	Cephalaria Schrad. ex Roem. & Schult.
Species
See text

Cephalaria is a genus of about 65 species of flowering plants in the family Caprifoliaceae, native to southern Europe, western and central Asia, and northern and southern Africa.

They are annual or perennial herbaceous plants growing to 0.8-2 m tall.

Cephalaria species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Schinia imperialis, which feeds exclusively on C. procera.

Selected species:

• Cephalaria alpina (L.) Roem. & Schult.
• Cephalaria ambrosioides (Sibth. & Sm.) Roem. & Schult.
• Cephalaria aristata C.Koch
• Cephalaria coriacea (Willd.) Roem. & Schult. ex Steud.
• Cephalaria flava (Sibth. & Sm.) Szabó
• Cephalaria gigantea (Ledeb.) Bobrov – Tatarian Cephalaria
• Cephalaria joppica (Spreng.) Bég.
• Cephalaria laevigata (Waldst. & Kit.) Schrad.
• Cephalaria leucantha (L.) Roem. & Schult.
• Cephalaria linearifolia Lange
• Cephalaria litvinovii Bobrov
• Cephalaria pastricensis Dörfl. & Hayek
• Cephalaria radiata Griseb. & Schenk
• Cephalaria setulifera Boiss. & Heldr.
• Cephalaria squamiflora (Sieber) Greuter
• Cephalaria scabra (L.f.) Roem. & Schult.
• Cephalaria syriaca (L.) Roem. & Schult. – Syrian Cephalaria
• Cephalaria tchihatchewii Boiss.
• Cephalaria transylvanica (L.) Roem. & Schult.
• Cephalaria uralensis (Murray) Roem. & Schult.

Cultivation and uses

Some species are grown as ornamental plants in gardens; the most popular species is C. gigantea, a perennial species from the Caucasus growing to 2 m tall, valued for its strong erect growth with dark green foliage and yellow flowers (Huxley 1992).

References

• Flora Europaea: Cephalaria
• Flora of Pakistan: Cephalaria
• Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan.