Cephalaria

Cephalaria
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,^[1] 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.