{{Short description|Genus of flowering plants in the gentian family Gentianaceae}} {{For|the taxon described by Haller|Rhaponticum}} {{Automatic taxobox |image = Centaurium erythraea (plant).jpg |image_caption = ''Centaurium erythraea'' |display_parents = 2 |taxon = Centaurium |authority = Hill, 1756 |synonyms_ref = <ref name="POWO" /> |synonyms = {{Species list | Centaurella | Delarbre (1800) | Erythraea | Reneaulme ex Borkh. (1796) | Gonipia | Raf. (1837) | Hippocentaurea | Schult. (1814) | Libadion | Bubani (1897) | Monodiella | Maire (1943) | Xanthaea | Rchb. (1841) }} }}
'''''Centaurium''''' ('''centaury''') is a genus of 20 species in the gentian family (Gentianaceae), tribe Chironieae, subtribe Chironiinae. The genus was named after the centaur Chiron, famed in Greek mythology for his skill in medicinal herbs. It is distributed across Europe and Asia.
Until 2004, ''Centaurium'' was given a much wider circumscription, comprising about 50 species ranging across Europe, Asia, the Americas, Australasia, and the Pacific. However this circumscription was polyphyletic, so in 2004 the genus was split into four, being ''Centaurium'' sensu stricto, ''Zeltnera'', ''Gyrandra'', and ''Schenkia''.<ref>{{cite journal | doi = 10.2307/4135447 | author = Mansion, Guilhem | s2cid = 85265968 | year = 2004 | title = A new classification of the polyphyletic genus ''Centaurium'' Hill (Chironiinae, Gentianaceae): description of the New World endemic ''Zeltnera'', and reinstatement of ''Gyrandra'' Griseb. and ''Schenkia'' Griseb. | journal = Taxon | volume = 53 | issue = 3 | pages = 719–740 | jstor = 4135447}}</ref>
==Species== According to Plants of the World Online there are 24 species of ''Centaurium''.<ref name="POWO">{{cite POWO |id=30015106-2 |title=''Centaurium'' Hill |access-date=7 September 2024}}</ref> {{div col|colwidth=21em}} {{Linked species list | Centaurium ameghinoi | (Speg.) Druce | Centaurium barrelieroides | Pau | Centaurium bianoris | (Sennen) Sennen | Centaurium cachanlahuen | (Molina) B.L.Rob. | Centaurium capense | C.R.Broome | Centaurium centaurioides | (Roxb.) S.R.Rao & Hemadri | Centaurium chloodes | (Brot.) Samp. | Centaurium cochinchinense | (Spreng.) Druce | Centaurium compar | (R.Br.) Druce | Centaurium erythraea | Rafn | Centaurium favargeri | Zeltner | Centaurium flexuosum | (Maire) J.-P.Lebrun & Marais | Centaurium littorale | (Turner) Gilmour | Centaurium mairei | Zeltner | Centaurium malzacianum | Maire | Centaurium maritimum | (L.) Fritsch | Centaurium minutissimum | Maire | Centaurium portense | (Brot.) Butcher | Centaurium pulchellum | (Sw.) Hayek ex Hand.-Mazz., Stadlm., Janch. & Faltis | Centaurium quadrifolium | (L.) G.López & C.E.Jarvis | Centaurium rigualii | Esteve | Centaurium scilloides | (L.f.) Samp. | Centaurium serpentinicola | Carlström | Centaurium tenuiflorum | (Hoffmanns. & Link) Fritsch }} {{div col end}}
==See also== * ''Zeltnera calycosa'' - formerly ''C. calycosum'' * ''Zeltnera davyi'' - formerly ''C. davyi'' * ''Zeltnera exaltata'' - formerly ''C. exaltatum'' * ''Zeltnera muehlenbergii'' - formerly ''C. muehlenbergii'' * ''Zeltnera namatophila'' - formerly ''C. namophila'' * ''Zeltnera venusta'' - formerly ''C. venustum''
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20131220101229/http://gentian.rutgers.edu/ Gentian Research Network]
{{Taxonbar|from=Q157703}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Centaurium Category:Gentianaceae genera Category:Flora of Europe