Spotted Knapweed

Description

  • Grows 2- 4 feet tall and has a long tap root.
  • Foliage is gray-green.
  • Flowers are small, oval, pink to purple, produced at the end of branched stems and covered with stiff bracts marked with dark, upside-down ā€œVā€ markings, giving them a spotted appearance. Blooming occurs from June through August.
  • In the first year, the plant is a low-lying rosette with deeply lobed leaves and a thick taproot. In the second year, the plant bolts, producing stout, branching stems with alternate leaves having few to no lobes, and becoming progressively smaller up the stem.

Habitat

Spotted knapweed prefers dry, sandy soils. It is found growing in a wide range of natural and disturbed habitats. Typically invading natural areas, pastures, forest and field margins, mining areas, and unmaintained gravel pits, it is also commonly found along roads, railways, and trails.

 

Information from Minnesota Department of Agriculture