Common Name: spotted knapweedScientific Name: Centaurea maculosa Lam.Family Name: Asteraceae (Compositae) - Aster or Sunflower FamilyIdentification NotesLife Cycleintroduced biennial, reproducing by seed Stemsupright to reclining, relatively slender but tough, hairy or downy, branched throughout Leavesbasal rosette first year, second year alternate; pinnately divided below, segments narrow, smaller above and less divided, surface short haired, margins tough hairs Flowersheads of pink to purple (sometimes white) disk (tubulate) florets, bracts fringed with bristly hairs; solitary, terminal loose panicle, axillary above