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Sarah Kyle

Dr Chad King

BIO 112-02

18 March 2010

Alternate Names:
Russian knapweed
Turkestan thistle
hardheads
Centaurea repens
Russian knapweed
hardheads

Considered a serious weed of dry land crops, Acroptilon repens is a perennial, invasive forb that has
scaly, dark-brown to black color roots that can extend to 14 square yards, and grow 23 feet deep. This
can occur within two growing seasons. With the abundance of this root system, Russian Knapweed can
survive for up to 75 years. The stems of Russian Knapweed are thin, erect and openly branched, and
usually reach 3 feet. The leaves (rosette leaves) are 2 to 4 inches long and 0.4 to 1 inch wide, growing
less near the tops of the stems. Flower heads are typically 0.5 inch in diameter. Seeds of the Russian
Knapweed are covered by fine hairs.
Russian knapweed is usually found near roadsides, ditches, pastures and waste places. It tends
to grow on sandy or rocky steppes, or on the shores of lakes and rivers. Russian knapweed became
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established wherever Turkestan alfalfa seed was planted. Due to the small number of seeds it produces
and the poor dispersal mechanism, it does not colonize new sites efficiently. Russian Knapweed roots
emerge in early spring, even during freezing temperatures. Animals avoid obtaining Russian Knapweed
due to its bitter taste, and are toxic to horses, resulting in a neurological disorder.

Kingdom Plantae – Plants

Subkingdom Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass Asteridae
Order Asterales
Family Asteraceae – Aster family
Genus Acroptilon Cass. – hardheads
Specie Acroptilon repens (L.) DC. – hardheads
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