Latin Name: Centaurea jacea
Origin: Europe
Physical Description: Perennial herb from a taproot. The stems are erect, branched, glabrous or somewhat woolly. They typically grow 0.1-1.2 m tall. The Leaves are egg-shaped or lance-shaped, undivided and have waxy margins and a hairy texture. Basal leaves may be stalked, lobed or toothed and become smaller moving up the stem. Flowers are rose to purple (rarely white) and have bracts that have dark brown bases.
Habitat: Prefers sunny areas with mesic to dry soils. It’s often found along roadsides and in grasslands, orchards, cultivated fields, open woods, meadows, pastures and woodland clearings.
Impacts: It outcompetes desirable species to form large monocultures impacting forage quality, species diversity and wildlife habitat are reduced. It can hybridize with other knapweeds, allowing for aggressive seed dispersal. This plant is toxic to horses when consumed. Horses typically avoid consumption of knapweeds in field/pasture settings however it can be inadvertently consumed in contaminated hay.
Reproduction: It reproduces by seed and can regenerate from the root crown. Plants produce up to 800 seeds per plant and seeds can disperse as far as 20 feet from the parent plant.
