Centaurium Hill, emend. Adanson
The genus Centaurium Hill, emend. Adanson (formerly Erythraea or Chironia) includes about 21 species according to the latest classifications.
They are annual or biennial plants quite common throughout the northern hemisphere. Native to Europe and Asia, epigenetic to North America and Australia.
The name of the genus Centaurio comes from the Greek centaur, a reference to the Centaur Chiron who, according to mythology, taught people the healing power of herbs.
It is considered one of the most important bitter herbs, which facilitates digestion, increases bile secretion, appetizer, cholagogue, digestive. It was used against malaria before the prevalence of quinine, which is why in some parts of Greece it is called rigouros >rigo. Externally it is used as a wound and wound healer.
In Kythera the species recorded are mainly Centaurium erythraea Rafn subsp. limoniiforme Greuter, which is considered a local endemic of Kythera, centaurium pulchellum or centaurium tenuiflorum and centaurium spinosum in the Dragonares. In the southeast I found few plants with white colour while in the north(!) centaurium maritimum with sweet yellow colour.
The species centaurium erythraea is probably the centaur the small of Dioscorides:
“....a small centaurion, [and the Limnisians, and the Helvosrites, and the amaranths, prophesied blood of Heraclius, Romans febrifuges, and the herbs multiradix, Dacos tulbila;] some call the liminal, because they kiss the dwarves topos......”
