Spotted Knapweed Identification

Spotted noxious weed control in Franktown. Call (720)248-0000 for a free estimate.

Knowing which type of knapweed you have growing in your area is important. It affects the type of work you need to do to eradicate it, and it can also affect the safety of animals nearby. Spotted knapweed is often confused for diffuse knapweed and vice versa.

How can you tell the difference between the two? Here are the tell-tale signs that you have spotted knapweed in your area.

The Way Spotted Knapweed Grows

If you are early enough in the season, you may be able to spot the difference between the way they’re growing. Spotted knapweed is a short-lived, non-creeping perennial. It only reproduces from the seeds or via new shoots from the taproot. The weed will produce one or mote shoots branched off from the taproot.

The good news is that since it isn’t creeping, it won’t grow from the same root further away from the base.

Purple Flowers with Black-Tipped Bracts

It’s the flowers that are going to tell you which type of knapweed you have in the majority of cases. It’s also the way spotted and diffuse knapweed are confused. Both types can have purple flowers. If you see white ones, you don’t have spotted knapweed.

It’s all about the bracts. In a spotted knapweed, you’ll see involucre bracts that are stiff to touch. They also have black tips to them. Within the upper bract margin, you may feel a fringe that is spine-like and soft. The center spine is always shorter than any of the others.

The flowers are solitary on the shoot tips. You’ll get multiple flowers on the different off-shoots from the taproot.

Rosette Leaves on the Weed

Another thing to look out for is the leaves. They are rosette leaves and are often deeply lobed. You’ll find that they can grow as long as six inches long.

The weed will produce one or more shoots branched off from a single stem. These shoots can be 1ft to 3ft in height.

Once you know what you’re dealing with, you can take steps to get rid of it. Spotted knapweed is the easiest of all three types of remove, but you need to act fast and be consistent.

To get on our schedule for noxious weed control including spotted knapweed, call us at (720)248-0000. Franktown, LArkspur, Castle Rock, Monument.