Linnaeus, C. (1 May 1753), Species Plantarum 2: 909 [tax. nov.]

• Type: (not designated).

Linnaeus, C. (1754), Genera Plantarum Edn. 5: 389 [secondary reference]

Candolle, A.P. de in Candolle, A.P. de (ed.) (1838), Compositae. Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis 6: 602 [secondary reference]

Bentham, G. (5 January 1867), Orders XLVIII. Myrtaceae- LXII. Compositae. Flora Australiensis 3: 457 [secondary reference]

Mueller, F.J.H. von (1882), Systematic Census of Australian Plants: 85 [secondary reference]

pro parte taxonomic synonym: Leuzea DC. legitimate

Dixon, W.A. (1906), The Plants of New South Wales: 203 [secondary reference]

Bailey, F.M. (1913), Comprehensive Catalogue of Queensland Plants: 276 [secondary reference]

Britton, N.L. & Brown, A. (7 June 1913), An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States, Canada and the British possessions Edn. 2, 3: 556 [secondary reference]

• Lectotype: Centaurea centaurium L.

Black, J.M. (1929), Bignoniaceae - Compositae. Flora of South Australia 4: 654 [secondary reference]

• Etymology: "The Centaureum majus of Pliny probably belonged to this genus, while the Centaurium minus was the modern Erythraea Centaurium; the name is derived from the Centaur Chiron, the legendary father of medicine."

Black, J.M. & Robertson, E.L. (1957), Flora of South Australia Edn. 2, 4: 935 [secondary reference]

• Etymology: "The Centaureum majus of Pliny probably belonged to this genus, while the Centaurium minus was the modern Erythraea Centaurium; the name is derived from the Centaur Chiron, the legendary father of medicine."

Arenes, J. (1959), Sur les Centaurees de la Sous-Section . "Phrygiae. " Boiss. Notulae Systematicae (Paris): 376-390 [secondary reference]

Beadle, N.C.W., Evans, O.D. & Carolin, R.C. (1962), Handbook of the Vascular Plants of the Sydney District and Blue Mountains: 375 [secondary reference]

Curtis, W.M. (1963), Angiospermae: Lythraceae to Epacridaceae. The Student's Flora of Tasmania 2: 378 [secondary reference]

Burbidge, N.T. & Gray, M. (1970), Flora of the Australian Capital Territory: 394-395 [secondary reference]

Cronquist, A.J. (1981), An Integrated System of Classification of Flowering Plants: 1025 [secondary reference]

Jacobs, S.W.L. & Pickard, J. (1981), Plants of New South Wales: 75 [secondary reference]

Jessop, J.P. in Jessop, J.P. (ed.) (1981), Compositae (Asteraceae) - most genera. Flora of Central Australia: 412 [secondary reference]

Stanley, T.D. in Stanley, T.D. & Ross, E.M. (1986), Asteraceae. Flora of South-eastern Queensland 2: 584 [secondary reference]

Lander, N.S. in Marchant, N.G., Wheeler, J.R., Rye, B.L., Bennett, E.M., Lander, N.S. & Macfarlane, T.D. (1987), Asteraceae. Flora of the Perth Region 2: 666 [secondary reference]

Murray, L. in Harden, G.J. (ed.) (1992), Centaurea. Flora of New South Wales 3: 325 [secondary reference]

Jeanes, J.A. in Walsh, N.G. & Entwisle, T.J. (ed.) (1999), Asteraceae. Flora of Victoria 4: 680 [secondary reference]

Wheeler, J.R., Marchant, N.G. & Lewington, M. (2002), Dicotyledons. Flora of the South West 2: 499 [secondary reference]

Anderberg, A.A., Baldwin, B.G., Bayer, R.G., Breitwieser, I., Jeffrey, C., Dillon, M.O., Eldenäs, P., Funk, V., Garcia-Jacas, N., Hind, D.J.N., Karis, P.O., Lack, H.W., Nesom, G., Nordenstam, B., Oberprieler, C., Panero, J.J., Puttock, C., Robinson, H., Stuessy, T.F., Susanna, A., Urtubey, E., Vogt, R., Ward, J. & Watson, L.E. in Kubitzki, K. (ed.) (2007), Compositae. The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants 8: 146, Fig. 36 [secondary reference]

taxonomic synonym: Cnicus L. nom. cons.

Mabberley, D.J. (1 May 2008), Mabberley's Plant-Book Edn. 3: 164-165 [secondary reference]

taxonomic synonym: Cnicus L. nom. cons.

Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria (2011), Australian Plant Census: - APC [secondary reference]

taxonomic synonym: Cnicus L. nom. cons. taxonomic synonym: Carbeni Adans. legitimate taxonomic synonym: Carbena Ewart orth. var.

• APC Dist.: WA (naturalised), NT (naturalised), SA (naturalised), Qld (naturalised), NSW (naturalised), LHI (naturalised), NI (naturalised), ACT (naturalised), Vic (naturalised), Tas (naturalised)

Bean, A.R. in Wilson, A.J.G. (ed.) (2015), Asteraceae Subfam. 2. Carduoideae Trib. 1. Cardueae. Flora of Australia 37: 74-75 [secondary reference]

taxonomic synonym: Cnicus L. nom. cons.

• Etymology: "from the Greek kentauros (centaur - half man, half horse): the name was used by Pliny for a medicinal herb associated with the centaur Chiron, the legendary founder of medicine."

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