Summary ²

Centaurea stoebe is a species of Centaurea found in Northern Italy. It is also an invasive species in the United States, and particularly widespread in dryer regions of the Pacific Northwest. It forms a tumbleweed, helping to increase the species' reach, and the seeds are also enabled by a feathery pappus.

Description ³

Family:
Asteraceae (Aster)

Height:
2 to 3 feet

Leaves:
Alternate, gray-green, divided, and smaller towards the top of the stem

Flower:
Many small pink to purple petals on long stalks from leaf axils

Bloom time:
June-October

Habitat:
Spreads rapidly in dry, disturbed environments

Can I plant this in my garden?
No, spotted knapweed is a non-native, invasive plant that spreads aggressively and outcompetes desirable native plants. It is on Minnesota’s noxious weed list and should be eradicated where found. It can be managed by cutting at the time of flowering or by hand pulling small plants.

References:
https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/spotted-knapweed

Range ³

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District, all rights reserved, uploaded by Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District
2. Adapted by Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centaurea_stoebe
3. (c) Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• Calflora
• CalPhotos
• eFloras.org
• Flora of North America (beta)
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• Go Botany
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
• Jepson eFlora
• Maryland Biodiversity Project
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• OregonFlora.org
• SEINet Symbiota portals
• Tropicos
• USDA PLANTS database
• VASCAN by Canadensys
• World Flora Online
• 日本のレッドデータ検索システム
• 植物和名−学名インデックス YList

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