Centaurea sphaerocephala subsp. polyacantha

Picture taken last Sunday in Aguda, a fishing village close to Porto (Portugal) which doubles as a Summer resort. A considerable area of sand dunes has been fenced off to allow some vegetation to escape trampling. This Centaurea has chosen to live dangerously just outside the fence - which, however, made it all the easier to photograph.

Paulo V. Araújo

(http://dias-com-arvores.blogspot.com/)

 

Very nice plant, I like the colors. The way the leaves seem textured is interesting.

 

Checked up, seems this cornflower is native to Morocco, Portugal and Spain:
http://ww2.bgbm.org/_EuroPlusMed/PTaxonDetail.asp?NameId=135365&PTRefFk=500000

The type subspecies occurs further east in the Mediterranean.