Knautia arvensis, (L.) Coulter

Tutin, T. G., Heywood, V. H., Burges, N. A., Moore, D. M., Valentine, D. H., Walters, S. M. & Webb, D. A., 1976, Flora Europaea. Volume 4. Plantaginaceae to Compositae (and Rubiaceae), Cambridge University Press : 65-66

29. K. arvensis (L.) Coulter , Mem. Dipsac. 41 (1823).

Perennial or biennial; stock sympodial, laxly caespitose, with leafrosettes and flowering stems, usually with underground stolons. Stem (15-)25-75(-100) cm, the lower internodes long or short, sometimes with purplish spots, more or less hirsute or setose and puberulent; peduncles glandular or eglandular. Leaves membranous, usually subhirsute; basal green, undivided or lyrate-pinnate; cauline often confined to lower half of stem, lanceolate to narrowly ovate, usually lyrate-pinnate with (2-)4- 12(-16) lateral lobes and an ovate-lanceolate, subacute, subdentate terminal lobe usually much shorter than the divided part. Hermaphrodite capitula (2-5-)3-4cm in diameter; female capitula (1 -5—)2—3 cm in diameter. Calyx cupuliform, (6-)8(-10)- awned. Corolla bluish-violet to lilac, rarely purple or pink. 2л = 20, 40, 43, 46. Meadows, pastures and open woods. Most of Europe, but absent from parts ofthe Mediterranean region.?A1 Au BeBrBuCzDaFeGaGeHbHeHoHsHuItJuLuNoPoRm Rs(N, B, C, W, K, E) Su [Fa Is]. A very polymorphic taxon, hybridizing with 1, 3, 5, 9, 16, 18, 21, 23-25, 30-34, 37, 39, 42, 43. An often greyish-subtomentose diploid with deeply multi-pinnate leaves and bluish-lilac corolla is subsp. pannonica (Heuffel) O. Schwarz , Mitt. Thür. Bot. Ges. 1(1): 118 (1949) ( K. arvensis var. budensis (Simonkai) Szabó ), from E.C. Europe. Other diploid plants from E.C. Europe with long stems, wide and undivided greenish leaves, and lilac-pink corolla, have been called subsp. rosea (Baumg.) Soó , Feddes Reperì. 83: 129 (1972) ( К. dumetorum Heuffel ). They link 29 with 32.

Slender, sparsely hairy, occasionally biennial diploids are widespread from N. Italy to the N. part of the Balkan peninsula, connecting 29 to 34 in the west and to 31, 33 and 37 in the southeast. Similar tetraploids in the S. Jura and foothills of the S.W. Alps have been called K. timeroyi Jordan, Cat. Jard. Dijon 25 (1848), andK. leucophaea Briq. , Annu. Cons. Jard. Bot. Genève 6: 75 (1902); they approach 34.

Tetraploids, which are widespread from the Pyrenees, S. Alps and Carpathians northwards, are usually robust, with coarse indumentum, purplish-spotted lower internodes and large terminal leaf-lobes.