Centaurea diluta Aiton subsp. diluta

Raab-Straube, Eckhard von & Raus, Thomas, 2025, Euro + Med-Checklist Notulae, 18, Willdenowia 55 (1), pp. 107-144 : 115

Centaurea diluta Aiton subsp. diluta – Fig. 5.

A Cr: Greece, Kriti (Crete): Iraklio, Minoa Pediada , provincial road Ligortynos–Arkalohori , 35°07'49.2"N, 25°15'07.1"E, 367 m, small colony of 25–30 plants, averaging 10–20 cm tall (max. height 45 cm), at edge of cereal field, 5 Jul 2024, Bormpoudaki (photos [ Fig. 5], conf. A. Bakali, Z. Angourakis & R. Jahn). – This is the first record in Crete and to our knowledge the first report of this annual species for the Eastern Mediterranean. It is most likely not native but introduced into Crete, taking into consideration the distance between the island and the areas where the plant is known to occur (native to Spain and NW Africa, naturalized in Italy, see Greuter 2006 +) and the type of habitat that was observed. The possibility that the species exists in new sites with similar environments on the island and its persistence at the locality cited above should be further investigated .

K. Bormpoudaki & R. Jahn