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Centaurea sinaica DC.

Synonyms

Calcitrapa sinaica, Centaurea procurrens, Centaurea pseudosinaica

Common names

Amberboa crupioides, birkan, murrar

AI-generated Description

Centaurea sinaica is an annual herb native to the Middle East. In Qatar, it has been found growing in sandy areas and coastal regions, typically blooming from February to May. It produces small, pinkish-purple flowers and has been identified as a rare or occasional species within the country's flora.

Flower bud of Centaurea sinaica (Centaurea pseudosinaica, Amberboa crupioides, local names birkan, murrar) near Umm Bab in south-western Qatar, February 21, 2014
Unnamed Road, Qatar

Blooming Centaurea sinaica (Centaurea pseudosinaica, Amberboa crupioides, local names birkan, murrar) on roadside of Salwa Road near Karaana, south-west from Doha. Qatar, April 23, 2014
Salwa Rd, Qatar

Centaurea sinaica (local names birkan, murrar) with seeds and flowers on roadside of Salwa Road near Karaana, south-west from Doha. Qatar, April 23, 2014
Salwa Road, Qatar

Centaurea sinaica (local names birkan, murrar) with seeds on roadside of Salwa Road near Karaana, south-west from Doha. Qatar, April 23, 2014
Salwa Road, Qatar

Almost dry Centaurea sinaica (local names birkan, murrar) with seeds on roadside of Salwa Road near Karaana, south-west from Doha. Qatar, April 23, 2014
Salwa Road, Qatar

Centaurea sinaica (local names birkan, murrar) in windblown sand on roadside of Salwa Road in area of Rawdat Ekdaim. Southern Qatar, April 11, 2015
Salwa Road, Qatar

Centaurea sinaica in windblown sand on roadside of Salwa Road in area of Rawdat Ekdaim. Southern Qatar, April 11, 2015
Salwa Road, Qatar

Thorny plant of Centaurea sinaica (Centaurea pseudosinaica, Amberboa crupioides, local names birkan, murrar) in windblown sand on southern side of Salwa Road in area of Khashem Al Nekhsh. Southern Qatar, March 18, 2016
Salwa Rd, Qatar

Small blooming plant of Centaurea sinaica (local names birkan, murrar) on roadside in area of Jebel Al-Nakhsh (Khashm an Nakhsh). South-western Qatar, March 25, 2016
Salwa Rd, Qatar

Centaurea sinaica (local names birkan, murrar) in windblown sand on roadside of Salwa Road in area of Khashem Al Nekhsh. Qatar, April 8, 2016
Salwa Rd, Qatar

Centaurea sinaica (local names birkan, murrar) in windblown sand near Salwa Road in area of Rawdat Ekdaim. Southern Qatar, April 8, 2016
Salwa Rd, Qatar

Centaurea sinaica (local names birkan, murrar) on roadside in Al Ameria near a road to Sawda Natheel. Southern Qatar, April 15, 2016
شارع العامرية، Al Ameria, Qatar

AI-generated summary of observations

Centaurea sinaica was observed in various locations in Qatar, including near Umm Bab, Salwa Road, and Rawdat Ekdaim. The plant was seen in different stages of growth, from flower buds to blooming and seed production. It was found growing in windblown sand on roadside areas, often in dry conditions. The observations were made between February 2014 and April 2016, with multiple sightings in southern Qatar. The plant was identified by its local names, birkan and murrar, and was noted to be thorny in some cases. It was also observed in areas such as Khashem Al Nekhsh, Jebel Al-Nakhsh, and Al Ameria, indicating a wide distribution in the region. Overall, Centaurea sinaica appears to be a common plant species in Qatar's desert environments.

Links

• Flora of Qatar.
• Unknown plants or plants without names.
• Duplicate and extra pictures of plants.
• Earlier version of collection of plants.
• Other collections of pictures from Qatar: Lizards of Qatar, Cats of Qatar, Camels of Qatar, and Fish of Qatar.
• Picture archives.
• Home page of A. Sergeev.

Outside links

• Centaurea sinaica from www.catalogueoflife.org
• Ekhlas M. M. Abdel Bary, The Flora of Qatar, Volume I: The Dicotyledons. Doha 2012
• Flora of Qatar, Volume II: The Monocotyledons
• Illustrated Checklist of the Flora of Qatar. John Norton et al. 2009
• Qatar eNature. Flora
• Ali Al-Rawi, Flowering plants of Kuwait, 1985
• Plants of Kuwait
• Flora of Saudi Arabia, Al-Qassim Region
• Flora of Eastern Saudi Arabia by Rain and Dust at Flickr
• Plants of South-Western Morocco
• Pictures from Qatar (Flickr/cpmkutty)
• Arabian plants by Gary Brown
• Flora of Israel

How the web page was created

• A list of plants with their common names was written using online sources and books.
• Web pages were written by a program consisting of several scripts.
• Full names, synonyms, and classification of plants were found online from catalogueoflife.org and theplantlist.org using a script.
• Pictures of plants were selected from a database using a script.
• This web page was written using a script.

Acknowledgements

QNHG (Qatar Natural History Group) and associated people, for a possibility to participate in their field excursions and to learn about local nature.