Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
Centaurea melitensis
Common name
Maltese Cockspur, Cockspur Thistle, Saucy Jack
Family
Asteraceae
Where found
Weed. Woodland, grassy areas, disturbed areas, roadsides, stock routes, and occasionally cultivated land. Western Slopes, Kosciuszko National Park, the mountains to the north, ACT, and tablelands. Coast and ranges north from east of Goulburn.
Notes
Introduced annual herb to 1 m tall. Bracts on the flower heads spiny. Stems branched, hairy, winged in the upper portions. Basal leaves withering before flowering, 4-14 cm long, 10-60 mm wide, dissected, hairy with fine hairs or rough. Stem leaves alternating up the stems, 1-7 cm long, 2-9 mm wide, sticky, hairy to rough, margins rough and entire to toothed, bases continuing down the stems. Flower heads 9–12 mm long, 8-12 mm in diameter, oval to globular, with yellow florets 10–15 mm long, 0 petals. Flower heads single or in open clusters of 2-3. Flowering: spring–summer.
PlantNET description: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Centaurea~melitensis
(accessed 7 January, 2021)
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