| Family | ASTERACEAE |
| Genus species | Centaurea pungens Pomel trib. Cardueae |
| Bibliography | Nouv. Mat. Fl. Atl.: 29 (1874) |
| Native Range | n. Africa to Mauritania |
| Primary Biome | Desert or Dry Shrubland |
| Habitat | dry, stony grassland |
| Description | stems short, procumbent, shortly ramose, leaves not decurrent, lyrate or pinnatifid, the upper sometimes entire, large, involucre spinose, spines 3-4cm long |
| Size | 5-12cm |
| Color | purple |
| Bloom | summer |
| Ca | |
| Type | subshrub |
| Cultivation | sunny site with a deep, drained soil alpine house, rich, drained soil, sun |
| Propagation | seed in spring, dark, moist, germ. 1 month, 16-21°C cuttings in late summer |
| Synonyms | Calcitrapa pungens (Pomel) Holub Centaurea macracantha Batt. & Trab. Centaurea pungens f. alobyphylla Pau |
| Territory | 2 Africa 20 Northern Africa (ALG Algeria, LBY Libya, MOR Morocco, TUN Tunisia) 22 West Tropical Africa (MTN Mauritania) |