Spotted Knapweed

Spotted Knapweed  (Centaurea maculosa Lam.)

Growth Habit:   Biennial or short lived perennial, up to 3 ft. tall. Rosette
formed first year, flowering stalk elongates second year.

Leaves:   Long and divided below, short and narrow above. Covered with
fine hair.

Stems:   Erect with slender wiry branches. Covered with fine hair.

Flowers:   Seed heads mostly on branch tips, solitary, to 1" diameter.
Pink to purple, rarely white. Seed head bracts are black tipped, with 5 to 7
pairs of short feathery appendages.

Roots:  taproot not well developed.

Seeds:   Brownish, 1/8" long, notched on one side of base, short tuft
of bristles at tip end.

Other:   Very aggressive, can infest large areas quickly, offers very little
big game or livestock forage value.