| centaurea | (n) knapweed; star thistle, Syn. genus Centaurea |
| barnaby's thistle | (n) European weed having a winged stem and hairy leaves; adventive in the eastern United States, Syn. yellow star-thistle, Centaurea solstitialis |
| basket flower | (n) annual of southwestern United States cultivated for its purple flower heads and its bracts that resemble small baskets, Syn. Centaurea americana |
| cornflower | (n) an annual Eurasian plant cultivated in North America having showy heads of blue or purple or pink or white flowers, Syn. Centaurea cyanus, bluebottle, bachelor's button |
| dusty miller | (n) a plant having leaves and stems covered with down that resembles dust, Syn. Centaurea cineraria, Centaurea gymnocarpa |
| great knapweed | (n) tall European perennial having purple flower heads, Syn. greater knapweed, Centaurea scabiosa |
| lesser knapweed | (n) a weedy perennial with tough wiry stems and purple flowers; native to Europe but widely naturalized, Syn. Centaurea nigra, black knapweed, hardheads |
| sweet sultan | (n) perennial of mountains of Iran and Iraq; cultivated for its fragrant rose-pink flowers, Syn. Centaurea imperialis |
| sweet sultan | (n) Asian plant widely grown for its sweetly fragrant pink flowers; sometimes placed in genus Centaurea, Syn. Centaurea moschata, Amberboa moschata |