Scientific Name:
Centaurea stoebe
Pronunciation:
sen-tore-EE-uh mak-yoo-LOH-suh
Common Name:
spotted knapweed
Family Name:
Asteraceae
Plant Type:
Biennial, Herbaceous perennial, Invasive plant
Key ID Features:
Basal leaves in first year, deeply lobed to pinnified, once or twice on both sides of the center vein, with lobes oblong and wider toward the tip, up to 20cm long x 5cm wide; stalked; flowering stem leaves sessile, usually pinnately lobed 4-7cm long; flower heads purple to pink, rarely white, with 25 to 35 florets per head, bracts have black margins or "spots", arranged in a corymb-like inflorescence 20-90cm tall, branching with leaf-like bracts; achenes dark grey-black, 2.5-3.5 mm long; pappus white, 0.5-2 mm long.
Habit:
Open, Upright
Form:
Oval - vertical
Texture:
Medium - fine
Mature Height:
0.7 - 1.3m
Mature Spread:
0.3 - 0.6m
Origin:
Europe, U.S. - northwest, U.S. - southwest (Naturalized In BC)
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 3: (-40 to -34 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Landscape Uses:
Additional Info:
Google. Compare to brown knapweed.
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple, Lobed, Dissected
Arrangement:
Alternate, Basal
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Pinnate venation
Surfaces:
Pubescent
Compound Leaf:
Odd-pinnate
Shapes:
Elliptic
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Truncate
Margins:
Pinnately lobed
Inflorescence Type:
Head (capitulum), Corymb-like
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Corolla Shape:
Ligulate
Ovary Position:
Inferior
Colour (petals):
Purple, Pink
Flower Time at Peak:
Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
Fruit Type:
Achene
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Aug, Sep, Oct
Bark Morphology:
Smooth
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green
Organ Modifications:
Storage tap root
Pest Susceptibility:
(Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Rabbit resistant)
