Extension > Garden > Diagnose a problem > Is this plant a weed? > Broadleaf Weeds > Basal > Spotted Knapweed
Spotted Knapweed
Centaurea maculosa Lam.
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Found in:
- Prairie plantings and low-maintenance turf areas
- Does well in poor, dry and sandy soils
Characteristics:
- Biennial or short-lived perennial
- Grows as a low basal rosette of foliage the first year
- Subsequent years it grows into a bushy 2-3’ tall plant
- Leaves are narrow, fernlike with tiny hairs and arise alternately along stem
- Leaves are covered with translucent dots
- Bears many small, pinkish-purple, thistle-like flowers June through Aug
- Stout taproot
Significance:
- Minnesota Secondary Noxious Weed
- Can be poisonous to other plants (allelopathic)
- May be a skin irritant
Plants that look similar:
- Cornflower (Bachelor’s buttons)
