C. triumfettii All., Auct. Syn.. 16 (1773). Syn: C. variegata Lam., Encycl. 1:668 (1785) nom. illegit.; C. axillaris Willd., Sp. PL 3(3):2290 (1803) nom, illegit.; Cyanus triumfettii (All.) Dostál ex A. &D.Löve in Bot. Not. 114:44 (1961). Ic: Prodan, Centaur. Roman. t. 18 (1930); Fiori, Ic. Fl. Ital. ed. 3, f. 3649, 1 (1933).
  Perennial with creeping rootstock, sterile rosettes sometimes developed, but stem never arising at their base. Stems (5-) 10-60 cm, erect or rarely ascending, simple or with few branches. Leaves ± densely tomentose, sometimes glabres-cent; broadly lanceolate to linear-lanceolate or linear, lower petiolate, sometimes pinnatilobate, stem leaves sessile, often narrowly decurrent. Involucre 15-22 x 8-15(-20) mm, ovoid. Appendages small to medium-sized (sometimes nearly concealing basal part of phyllaries), decurrent with dark brown border with numerous silvery (l.5-)2-3(-4) mm cilia. Marginal flowers radiant, blue, more rarely pink or violet-purple, central flowers violet-purple. Achenes 4-5 mm; pappus 1-2.5 mm. Fl. 5-7{-8).
An extremely variable species very difficult to classify. The infraspecific systems of Dostál (1931), Stefanov & Georgiev (1931) and others are taxonomi-cally only partly satisfactory and nomenclaturally untenable. As the typification is also difficult I have refrained from distinguishing formal taxa. Three main groups may be discerned in Turkey connected by intermediates.
1. Leaves linear, median cauline leaves 3-5 mm broad; involucre 8-12 mm broad
Group B
1. Leaves broader, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate; involucre usually broader 2. Marginal flowers pink or violet-purple (very rarely blue); plants mostly 30-60 cm with several long branches; leaves ± glabrescent, always entire
Group C
2. Marginal flowers nearly always cornflower blue; plants usually shorter; leaves rarely glabrescent, sometimes lower pinnatilobate Group A
Group A (C. cana auct.). Pinus forests, Quercus scrub, rocky slopes, pasture, 500-3500 m.
Widespread. A2(A) Bursa: Ulu Da., 2200 m, Sorger 68-54-16! A3 Bolu: Ala Da., Kartal Kaya tepe, 2100-2200 m, D. 37340! A4 Kastamonu: Ilgaz Da., 2000-2150 m, Bornm. 1929:14317! A5 Samsun: Ladik, 900m, Tobey 555! A7 Giresun: Balabandağ above Tamdere, 2700 m, D. 20557! A8 Erzurum: Kop Da. pass,
2750 m, Furse 3783! A9 Çoruh/Kars: d. Ardahan, Yalnizçam pass, Holmberg 2547! B2 Manisa: Demirci to Simav, Akçakertik pass, 1310 m, Hıtb.-Mor. 17001! B4 Ankara: Bala, Küre Da., 1700 m, E.S.Brown 1315! B5 Adana: d. Feke, Bakir Da., 2100-2200 m, D. 19399! B6/7 Sivas: Divriği, Dumluca Da., T.Baytop (ISTE 12799)! B7 Erzincan: Keşiş Da. above Cimin, 2300 m, D. 31289! B8 Erzurum: 96 km N. of Muş, 2000 m, 5 vii 1963, M.Zohary! B9 Bitlis/ Van: 10 km S.E. of Pelli, 2750 m, D. 22530! B10 Kars: Küçük Ağri Da. nr Serdar Bulak, 2300 m, D. 46920! C2 Antalya: Yumru Da., 1300 m, Sorger 63-30-22! C4 Konya: Yelibel Da., nr Ermenek, Hub.-Mor. 11683! C5IçeI(?): Güllek Tepe, 1100 m, Siehe 1896:429! C6 Gaziantep: Telhüyüh between Gaziantep and Pazarcik, 800 m, D. 27811! C8 Mardin: 5 km E. of Mardin, 1100 m, D. 28604! C10 Hakkari: Kara Da., 3500 m, D. 24461!
There is much variation within this group. Notable are specimens with very large showy marginal flowers (capitula incl. flowers up to 7 cm diam.) in N. Anatolia and plants with relatively short marginal flowers and with broadly lanceolate leaves e.g. in Gaziantep and Mardin.
The type material of C. cana Sm. (in Sibth. & Sm., Prodr. Fl. Graec. 2:198, 1813) from Ulu Da., of which only a photograph has been seen, is apparently not uniform. Part of it seems to belong to C. pichleri, while other specimens may represent an alpine dwarf form of C. triumfettii. As the short description does not help in typification, the name C. cana should be dropped.
Group B (C. cana Sm. f. fulgens Bornm. in Feddes Rep. Beih. 89:375, 1944! a rare red-flowering form). Pinus forests, mountain steppe, 1320-2300 m.
Mainly Inner & S. Anatolia. A4 Çankiri: Çankiri to Ilgaz, nr Topali, 1320 m, Hub.-Mor. 13242! A5 Çorum: Kös Da. S.W. of Hacihamza, Watson et al. 3487! B2 Uşak: S.E. from Uşak, Bal 1285! B3 Konya: Sultan Da. nr Akşehir, 1400 m, Bornm. 1899:4699! B5 Kayseri: 17 km E. of Bakir Da., 1640 m, Hub.-Mor. 10878! B6 Sivas: 48 km E. of Kangal, 1500-2000 m, Sorger 70-22-29! B7 Sivas: Göl Da., Bornm. 1893:3405 (type of C. cana f. fulgens Bornm.)! Erzincan: 37 km from Erzincan to Refahiye, 1960 m, Hub.-Mor. 11939! B8 Erzurum: Palandöken Da., 2090 m, Özbay & Özyurt (ATA 404)! B/C3 Isparta: Eğridir to Gelendost, Regel et al. (EGE 7159)! C5 Niğde: Ala Da., between Çukurbağ crossroads and Narpiz gorge, 1500-2060 m, Parry 35!
Group C (C. huetii Boiss., Diagn. ser. 2(3):69, 1856! 1C. atrata Willd., Sp. Pl. 3:2290, 1803! C. axillaris Willd. var. atrata (Willd.) Boiss., Fl. Or. 3:636, 1875!). Rocky slopes, pastures, high mountain steppe, 1600-3200 m.
E: Anatolia. A8 Gümüşane: 25 km beyond Bayburt on road from Trabzon to Erzurum, Jardine 523! A9 Kars: nr Çatak 14 km S.W. of Selim, 1920 m, Hub.-Mor. 15884! B8 Erzurum: 52 km N. of Hinis on the way from Muş to Erzurum, 1750 m, 5 vii 1963, M.Zohary! B9 Bitlis: Süphan Da., 3200 m, Stileman 23! Van: N. side of Erek Da., 2300 m, D. 44499! Ağri: 2 km S.W. of Hamur (Murat valley), 1680 m, D. 44085! B1O Ağri: between Doğubayazit and Iğdir, 2050 m, 22 vi 1964, M.Zohary & Plitm.! C10 Hakkari: Sat Da. N.W. of Sat G., 2850 m, D. 45493!
The delimitation of C. triumfettii from species with monopodial rhizomes (C. pichleri, C. cheiranthifolia etc.) is on the whole not difficult. A few collections in N.W. Turkey appear to be intermediate between C. triumfettii and C. pichleri, but better material may solve this problem. In E. Turkey where C. triumfettii is in contact with C. cheiranthifolia some gatherings suggest that hybridization
occurs with Group A (e.g. A9 Kars: Yalnizçam Pass, 2300 m, Hub.-Mor. 15883)! and Group C (e.g. A9 Kars: 22 km from Horasan to Karaurgan, 2000 m, D. 29513! Extremely variable in flower-colour).
Distribution of species: mountains of S. Europe and Southern Central Europe, N.W. Africa, Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon, Crimea, Caucasia, N. Iran