Centaurea cineraria, the velvet centaurea, also known as dusty miller and silver dust (though these latter two names may also apply to Jacobaea maritima and Silene coronaria), is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceaeendemic to southern Italy.[4][5] In natural settings, it grows on coastal cliffs, ranging from 0–350 m above sea level,[5] hence the plant's Italian name, fiordaliso delle scogliere (lit. "cliff cornflower").[5] Mature plants may reach 80 centimetres (31.5 in) in height.[4] The species produces purple flowers.[6][4][5]
Centaurea cineraria is taxonomically complicated, with several described subspecies and significant geographic variation.[4][7][8] Members of the C. cineraria group have variously been treated as full species, as subspecies, or simply as regional variations.[4][7][8][5]