Centaurea jacea

Brown knapweed

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Not Native

Brown knapweed is a naturalized perennial herb found in disturbed grasslands and open areas, typically growing in regions with agricultural or ruderal landscapes. Flowering from June to September, this plant produces distinctive purple flowers in hemispherical heads 15 to 18 millimeters wide with scarious phyllary appendages that range from light to dark brown or black. Growing with multiple branched stems 30 to 120 centimeters tall, the plant has a green coloration and is covered in short stiff or crinkly hairs. Its leaves vary from larger, entire to irregularly lobed basal leaves measuring 5 to 25 centimeters long to smaller, narrower entire upper leaves. The plant's unique phyllary appendages, which can be entire or dissected into fine wire-like lobes, create an intricate and textured appearance in the inflorescence.

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.