Centaurea cineraria

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 Asteraceae endemic to southern Italy. In natural settings, it grows on coastal cliffs, ranging from 0–350 m above sea level, hence the plant's Italian name, fiordaliso delle scogliere (lit. "cliff cornflower"). Mature plants may reach 80 centimetres (31.5 in) in height. The species produces purple flowers. Centaurea cineraria is taxonomically complicated, with several described subspecies and significant geographic variation. Members of the C. cineraria group have variously been treated as full species, as subspecies, or simply as regional variations. ...read more on Wikipedia.