sweet sultan n annual of Mediterranean to Portugal having hairy stems and minutely spiny-toothed leaves and large heads of yellow flowers n perennial of mountains of Iran and Iraq; cultivated for its fragrant rose-pink flowers n Asian plant widely grown for its sweetly fragrant pink flowers; sometimes placed in genus Centaurea Synonym(s) blessed thistle Cnicus benedictus Centaurea imperialis Amberboa moschata Centaurea moschata