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.

[6][7] In natural settings, it grows on coastal cliffs, ranging from 0–350 m above sea level,[7] hence the plant's Italian name, fiordaliso delle scogliere (lit.

[6][9][10] Members of the C. cineraria group have variously been treated as full species, as subspecies, or simply as regional variations.

[7] True C. gymnocarpa is a rare plant in the wild and likely does not exist in cultivation outside of conservation settings.

[7][12][2][9] Centaurea cineraria occasionally escapes from cultivation, but, at least in North America, this has not resulted in established exotic populations.