Centaurium tenuiflorum (Hoffmanns. et Link) Fritsch

Spice In the field Inflorescence

Family: GENTIANACEAE

Genus: Centaurium

Sinònims: Centaurium pulchellum (Sw.) Druce subsp. tenuiflorum (Hoffmanns. et Link) Maire

Province distribution: Alacant. Balearic Islands. Barcelona. Castelló. Girona. Lleida. Tarragona. València.

Distribution in the islands: Mallorca. Menorca. Ibiza. Formentera.

General distribution (Phytogeography): Holoartica

Flowering time: JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Habitats: Litoral marshes and riparian. Beaches and dunes, sandy soils. Therophytic calicole fields. Therophytic communities near the coast.

Characteristics: A small annual herb, erect, grows to 40 cm. Forms a basal rosette of deciduous leaves, of which projects a very foliose stem, not branched until the end, and where the pedunculate intense pink flowers are formed. Differs from C. pulchellum as the former is more robust and by its compact and multifloral inflorescence (C. pulchellum is smaller, with a lax inflorescence; the flowers are lighter coloured and can branch out at the base).