| Common Name: | Spotted knapweed |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Centaurea |
| Species: | biebersteinii |
| Classification/Rank: | Extremely Invasive |
| Method of Transportation: | Vehicles, in hay and on/through animals. |
| Habitat/Range: | Open areas with well-drained soils such as grass-lands, roadsides, right-of-ways and open forests. Tolerant to dense shade. |
Spotted knapweed (Centaurea biebersteinii) is a very competitive weed of dry open sites. It displaces desirable forage and native plant species reducing the landscape carrying capacity for livestock and wildlife.
Spotted knapweed grows up to 1.5 m tall and has purple (occasionally white) flowers found at the ends of branches. The flowerhead has black-tipped bracts ("scales") that give the plants a spotted appearance. It can act like a biennial or short-lived perennial. It has hairy, deeply-cut leaves that become smaller towards the top of the plant.
For more information on Spotted knapweed visit the Weeds BC Spotted knapweed webpage. To report this plant call 1-866-44WEEDS or use the Report-A-Weed application.
Land owners and managers have long recognized the need to control invasive plants to limit their impacts. In May 2018, a new smartphone app...
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