Tufted or many-stemmed centaury

Centaurium multicaule B. L. Robinson, Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 45: 396. 1910

Herbs annual, 4–38 cm. Stems (1–)3–12, branching through­out. Leaves: basal and near-basal present or more often ± withered at flowering; blade obovate to oblanceolate, 6–20 × 4–10 mm, apex rounded to subacute; cauline blades narrowly lanceolate, 6–33 × 1–9 mm, apex acute. Inflorescences racemoid, monochasial cymes, usually 1–3-flowered; pedicels 5–63 mm. Flowers 5-merous; calyx 5–10 mm; corolla 9–20 mm, lobes lanceolate, 3.5–7.5 × 1–2.7 mm, apex acute; stigma 1, shallowly 2-lobed, lobes club- to fan-shaped. Seeds reddish brown. 2n = 42 (Mexico).

Flowering late winter–summer. Moist meadows; 1300–1500 m; Tex.; Mexico.

Zeltnera multicaulis is widespread in Mexico, although the populations are widely scattered, occurring there at both higher and lower elevations. In the flora area, it is known only from Culberson and Presidio counties, Texas. From the similarly long-pedicelled Z. exaltata, which does not occur in Texas, Z. multicaulis differs in that its corolla lobes are distinctly more than half as long as the tube.