Diffuse Knapweed

Diffuse Knapweed, also known as White Knapweed or Tumble Knapweed, is a member of the Genus Centaurea in the Family Asteraceae. It is native to Asia Minor (Turkey, Syria), the Balkans, (Bulgaria, Greece, Romania), Ukraine, and southern Russia. Diffuse knapweed is an annual or biennial plant, generally growing to between 10 and 60 cm in height. It has a highly branched stem and a large taproot, as well as a basal rosette of leaves with smaller leaves alternating on the upright stems. Flowers are usually white or pink and grow out of urn-shaped heads carried at the tips of the many branches. Diffuse knapweed often assumes a short rosette form for one year, reaching maximum size, then rapidly growing and flowering during the second year. A single plant can produce approximately 18,000 seeds.