noun.
Any of several herbs of the genus Centaurium, especially a Eurasian species (C. erythraea) that has clusters of pink flowers and has long been used in herbal medicine.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
noun.
The popular name of various plants, chiefly of the knapweed, Centaurea nigra.
the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
noun.
A gentianaceous plant not fully identified. The name is usually given to the Erytheræa Centaurium and the Chlora perfoliata of Europe, but is also extended to the whole genus Sabbatia, and even to the unrelated Centaurea.