| Zeltnera exaltata | |
|---|---|
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| Conservation status | |
 Secure (NatureServe) | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Gentianales |
| Family: | Gentianaceae |
| Genus: | Zeltnera |
| Species: | Z. exaltata |
| Binomial name | |
| Zeltnera exaltata (Griseb.) G.Mans., 2004 | |
| Synonyms | |
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Zeltnera exaltata is a species of flowering plant in the gentian family known by the common names desert centaury and tall centaury. It is native to much of western North America from British Columbia to Arizona to Nebraska, where it grows in moist areas, generally with alkaline soils. This is an annual herb which is variable in appearance, especially in different habitat types. It grows up to about 35 centimeters in height, its slender stem with widely spaced pairs of oppositely arranged, pointed leaves 1 to 3 centimeters long. The inflorescence is an open array of flowers, each on a pedicel which may be several centimeters in length. The flower has generally four or five white or pink lobes, each somewhat rolled to appear narrow in shape.
Taxonomy
Zeltnera exaltata was scientifically described by August Grisebach in 1838 with the name Cicendia exaltata. The botanist Charles Vancouver Piper, working from information provided by William Franklin Wight, published a paper in 1906 moving it to the Centaurium genus, where it was accepted for almost a century. In 2004 Guilhem Mansion published a paper where it was reevaluated and renamed as Zeltnera exaltata.
References
- NatureServe (2024). "Zeltnera exaltata". Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ "Zeltnera exaltata (Griseb.) G.Mans". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
External links
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Zeltnera exaltata |
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| Centaurium exaltatum | |
| Cicendia exaltata | |
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