Common Centaury - Centaurium erythraea
Variable low to short plant, often with a solitary erect stem, branched above. Leaves elliptical to oval, 3 to 7 veined. Flowers pink to purplish 9 t0 15 mm, scarcely stalked, borne in flat topped, branched clusters.
Grassy habitats, often in dry places, and woodland margins.
June to September
Biennial
Fairly frequent in Britain except the extreme north.
Occasional and quite local in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 63 of the 617 tetrads.
JamesCalow
Croft Hill
17 July 2012
Graham Calow
Sapcote, Land behind William Spencer Avenue
29 June 2022
David Nicholls
Gypsum Works, Barrow
16 June 2018
David Gould
Croft Hill, Leics
17 July 2014
Steve Mathers
Cloud Wood
03/07/2017
David Nicholls
Bardon Hill
03 July 2014
Graham Calow
Measham
07 July 2010
leaves
Leicestershire & Rutland Map
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Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2020+ | 2015-2019 | pre-2015
UK Map
Species profile
- Common names
- Dumpy Centaury, Common Centaury
- Species group:
- Wildflowers
- Kingdom:
- Plantae
- Order:
- Gentianales
- Family:
- Gentianaceae
- Records on NatureSpot:
- 143
- First record:
- 24/08/1996 (Steve Woodward)
- Last record:
- 09/08/2023 (Willis, Jill)
Total records by month
% of records within its species group
10km squares with records
The latest images and records displayed below include those awaiting verification checks so we cannot guarantee that every identification is correct. Once accepted, the record displays a green tick.
In the Latest Records section, click on the header to sort A-Z, and again to sort Z-A. Use the header boxes to filter the list.
Latest images
Latest records
Adrian Baker
Brascote Pits
10 July 2016
Barbara Cooper
Ketton Quarry
22 July 2012
David Nicholls
Nature Alive, Coalville
12 July 2012
JamesCalow
Croft Hill
17 July 2012
Graham Calow
Jubilee Walk, Leire
16 September 2014
Graham Calow
Dunton Bassett Quarry
16 July 2015
Graham Calow
Entance road to Stoney Cove
03 August 2016
Graham Calow
Measham
07 July 2010
Graham Calow
Ellistown
27 June 2011
Graham Calow
Jubilee Walk, Leire
02 August 2011
Craig Mabbett
Dunton Bassett Quarry
16 July 2015
Graham Calow
Ellistown
27 June 2011
Graham Calow
Jubilee Walk, Leire
16 September 2014
Ron.stevens
Dunton Basset Quarry
05 July 2015
David Gould
Croft Hill, Leics
03 July 2015
David Gould
Croft Hill, Leics
03 July 2015
Steve Mathers
Ketton Quarry
05/07/2017
Craig Mabbett
Dunton Gorse Dunton Bassett
12/07/2017
AJ Cann
Croft Hill
24 July 2016
David Nicholls
Ketton Quarry
08 July 2016
David Nicholls
Bloody Oaks Quarry
08 July 2016
Groby John
Beaumont Leys, Glebelands
22 June 2023
Chromatomyia centaurii
The larva of the fly Chromatomyia centaurii mine the upper surface leaves of Common Centaury. The mine starts as a gallery, but this is then commonly engulfed by the blotch that then follows. This mine is typically in a basal leaf, near to the ground, but may also move into the stem.