Centaurea stoebe subsp. australis

Spotted knapweed, Spotted Knapweed

Family: Asteraceae · Type: perennial · Not Native

Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes

Spotted knapweed is a naturalized perennial herb found in northwestern California, the Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, northern Sacramento Valley, northern Coast Ranges, Transverse Ranges, southern Peninsular Ranges, Modoc Plateau, and northern eastern Sierra Nevada in disturbed areas at elevations below 2,600 meters. Flowering from July to September, this plant produces pink or purple flowers (occasionally white) with distinctive dark brown-purple to black-tipped involucre bracts in radiant heads. Growing 30 to 100 centimeters tall with multiple stems that branch distally and are thinly covered in soft hairs, it has a complex branching structure. Its leaves are short-stiff hairy and resin-dotted, with lower leaves 10 to 15 centimeters long and deeply 1 to 2 times lobed, while upper leaves tend to be entire or minimally lobed. The fruit is 3 to 3.5 millimeters long, pale brown, and finely hairy with white pappus bristles.

Habitat: Disturbed areas

Bloom period: Jul-Sep

Elevation: < 2600 m

Bioregions: NW, CaR, SN, n ScV, n CW, TR, s PR, MP, n SNE

California counties: San Bernardino, Modoc, Lassen, Siskiyou, Monterey, Butte, Mono, San Mateo, Shasta, Plumas, Mariposa, Placer, Fresno, Sonoma, Mendocino, Trinity, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Diego, Nevada, Alpine, Madera

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