Centaurea tchihatcheffii

The flowers of Centaurea tchihatcheffii are most attractive as the pale or dark pinkish-red marginal florets (the most frequent colour form) take on an iridescent shimmer in the sun and wind, hence the vernacular name Yanardöner, meaning ‘iridescent flower’. It flowers from late April to mid-June and in cultivation even earlier, e.g., March in Istanbul. The peak flowering period is mid-May and in earlier years it was sold in some quantity by street florists in Ankara....