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Cephalaria anatolica
Cephalaria anatolica is a rare, critically endangered perennial herb from eastern Anatolia in Türkiye, growing up to about 1 m tall on rocky slopes and roadsides. It is a wild species with little cultivation history, so care advice is limited.
Cephalaria anatolica is a critically endangered species of herbaceous plant in the family Caprifoliaceae, endemic to eastern Anatolia in Turkey. This slender perennial herb grows up to 1 metre tall with branching stems that have fine, downward-pointing hairs on their lower portions. It features distinctively variable leaves that are either simple or deeply divided into feather-like segments, and produces egg-shaped flower heads with yellow petals from June to July. First described in 1970, the species is restricted to rocky slopes, stony ground, and roadsides at elevations between 900 and 1100 metres. Its limited distribution, covering less than 500 km2 across no more than five localities, has led to its classification as critically endangered according to IUCN criteria.
The aerial parts of Cephalaria anatolica contain a range of secondary metabolites, particularly two previously unknown triterpene glycosides named cephosides B and C, along with eleven other known compounds. These compounds belong to a class known as saponins, which are natural substances found in many plants with potential biological effects.
It is an endemic species to Turkey. Cephalaria anatolica grows on rocky slopes, stony ground, and along roadsides at elevations ranging from 900 to 1100 metres. The species is restricted specifically to the eastern Anatolia region, and belongs to the Irano-Turanian floristic group. Due to its limited distribution—occupying an area smaller than 500 km2 and found in no more than five distinct localities—it has been assessed as Endangered (EN) according to the IUCN Red List criteria B2ab(i, ii, iv).
Alpine Scabious · Cephalaria duzceensis · Tatarian cephalaria · Cephalaria leucantha · Cephalaria tuteliana · False Scabiosa · Succisa pentaphylla
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Cephalaria anatolica by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
