Spotted Knapweed

Scientific Name

Centaurea stoebe L. subsp. micranthos (Gugler) Hayek (ITIS)

Common Name

Spotted knapweed

Synonym

Centaurea biebersteinii DC., Centaurea maculosa auct. non Lam. (ITIS)

Native To

Europe (Zouhar 2001)

Date of U.S. Introduction

Late 1800s (Zouhar 2001)

Means of Introduction

Accidentally through contaminated seed or ballast (Zouhar 2001)

Impact

Crowds out native species and forage for livestock (Zouhar 2001)

Spotted knapweed, flowers

Credit

USDA APHIS PPQ, Oxford, North Carolina

Source

Invasive.org.

Find more images

Distribution / Maps / Survey Status

Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System (EDDMapS) - Spotted Knapweed
- University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
- Provides state, county, point and GIS data. Maps can be downloaded and shared.

Videos

YouTube - Spotted Knapweed
- Google. YouTube; DOI. National Park Service. Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
YouTube - Spotted Knapweed
- Google. YouTube; Montana Department of Agriculture.

All Resources

View and Filter All Spotted Knapweed Resources

Selected Resources

The section below contains highly relevant resources for this species, organized by source.

Council or Task Force

Factsheet - Knapweeds [PDF, 1.83 MB]
- Mar 2019
- Invasive Species Council of British Columbia (Canada).
- See also: Publications for more resources
Fact Sheet: Spotted Knapweed [PDF, 801 KB]
- Jan 2014
- Alberta Invasive Species Council (Canada).
- See also: Fact Sheets for more information about individual invasive species, including those listed as "Prohibited Noxious" and "Noxious" under the Alberta Weed Control Act
Priority Species: Knapweeds
- Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office. Washington Invasive Species Council.

Partnership

Alaska Exotic Plants Information Clearinghouse (AKEPIC): Species Biography - Spotted Knapweed [PDF, 148 KB]
- Feb 7, 2011
- University of Alaska - Anchorage. Alaska Center for Conservation Science.
- See also: Non-Native Plant Species List for additional factsheets (species biographies) and species risk assessment reports of non-native species present in Alaska and also non-native species currently not recorded in Alaska (potential invasives)
Global Invasive Species Database - Centaurea biebersteinii (herb)
- IUCN. Species Survival Commission. Invasive Species Specialist Group.
Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States - Spotted Knapweed
- University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
Invasive Species Compendium - Centaurea stoebe subsp. micranthos
- CAB International.
Weeds Australia - Spotted Knapweed (Centaurea stoebe subsp. australis)
- Centre for Invasive Species Solutions; Atlas of Living Australia; Australian Government. Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment.

Federal Government

Biology and Biological Control of Knapweeds, FHTET-2011-05 [PDF, 45.5 MB]
- 2012
- USDA. FS. Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team.
- See also: Invasive Species Publications for more publications
Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) - Centaurea maculosa
- USDA. FS. Rocky Mountain Research Station. Fire Sciences Laboratory.
PLANTS Database - Spotted Knapweed
- USDA. NRCS. National Plant Data Center.
U.S. National Plant Germplasm System - Centaurea stoebe
- USDA. ARS. National Genetic Resources Program. GRIN-Global.

State and Local Government

Class B Noxious Weed: Spotted Knapweed
- Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board.
Encycloweedia: Data Sheet - Centaurea genus
- California Department of Food and Agriculture.
- See also: Included on California's noxious weed list; see Encycloweedia: Program Details for additional resources
Field Guide: Invasive - Spotted Knapweed
- Missouri Department of Conservation.
- See also: Invasive and Problem Plant Control (scroll to Invasive Plants section) for more information to help you identify and control most common invasive plants in Missouri
Invasive Plants in Pennsylvania: Black, Brown and Spotted Knapweed [PDF, 1.2 MB]
- Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
- See also: Invasive Plant Fact Sheets for plant species (trees, shrubs, vines, herbs and aquatic plants) that have impacted the state's natural lands
King County (Washington) Noxious Weed Control Program - Spotted Knapweed
- King County Department of Natural Resources (Washington). Water and Land Resources Division.
Noxious Weed Species ID- Spotted & Hybrid Knapweed
- Colorado Department of Agriculture. Conservation Services Division. Noxious Weed Program.
Spotted Knapweed
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Academic

MontGuide - Biology, Ecology and Management of Montana Knapweeds
- Aug 2017
- Montana State University Extension.
Invasive Plant Fact Sheet - Spotted Knapweed [PDF, 167 KB]
- Nov 2011
- University of Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Flora Project of Morris Arboretum.
- See also: Invasive Plant Fact Sheets for additional invasive plants in Pennsylvania
Introduced Species Summary Project - Spotted Knapweed
- Columbia University. Center for Environmental Research and Conservation.
Natural Resources Series: Range - Diffuse and Spotted Knapweed
- Colorado State University Extension.
Noxious Weeds of Nebraska - Spotted and Diffuse Knapweed
- University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Cooperative Extension.
Ohio Perennial & Biennial Weed Guide - Spotted Knapweed
- Ohio State University. Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center.

Professional

Noxious Weed Information - Spotted Knapweed
- Colorado Weed Management Association.
Weed Identification - Spotted Knapweed
- Montana Weed Control Association.

Citations

Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Centaurea stoebe ssp. micranthos. [Accessed Sep 25, 2023].
Zouhar, K. 2001. Centaurea maculosa. In: Fire Effects Information System. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory.

Find more images

Distribution / Maps / Survey Status

Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System (EDDMapS) - Spotted Knapweed

Videos

YouTube - Spotted Knapweed

YouTube - Spotted Knapweed

All Resources

Selected Resources

Factsheet - Knapweeds [PDF, 1.83 MB]

Fact Sheet: Spotted Knapweed [PDF, 801 KB]

Priority Species: Knapweeds

Alaska Exotic Plants Information Clearinghouse (AKEPIC): Species Biography - Spotted Knapweed [PDF, 148 KB]

Global Invasive Species Database - Centaurea biebersteinii (herb)

Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States - Spotted Knapweed

Invasive Species Compendium - Centaurea stoebe subsp. micranthos

Weeds Australia - Spotted Knapweed (Centaurea stoebe subsp. australis)

Biology and Biological Control of Knapweeds, FHTET-2011-05 [PDF, 45.5 MB]

Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) - Centaurea maculosa

PLANTS Database - Spotted Knapweed

U.S. National Plant Germplasm System - Centaurea stoebe

Class B Noxious Weed: Spotted Knapweed

Encycloweedia: Data Sheet - Centaurea genus

Field Guide: Invasive - Spotted Knapweed

Invasive Plants in Pennsylvania: Black, Brown and Spotted Knapweed [PDF, 1.2 MB]

King County (Washington) Noxious Weed Control Program - Spotted Knapweed

Noxious Weed Species ID- Spotted & Hybrid Knapweed

Spotted Knapweed

MontGuide - Biology, Ecology and Management of Montana Knapweeds

Invasive Plant Fact Sheet - Spotted Knapweed [PDF, 167 KB]

Introduced Species Summary Project - Spotted Knapweed

Natural Resources Series: Range - Diffuse and Spotted Knapweed

Noxious Weeds of Nebraska - Spotted and Diffuse Knapweed

Ohio Perennial & Biennial Weed Guide - Spotted Knapweed

Noxious Weed Information - Spotted Knapweed

Weed Identification - Spotted Knapweed