Mountain Cornflower

Mountain Cornflower, Perennial Cornflower

Centaurea montana L.

Asteraceae (Sunflower Family)

▲ ▼ mature, flowering plants

▲ ▼ inflorescences/flowers

Centaurea montana L., Mountain Knapweed: (Bayer Code: none; US Code CEMO)

Rhizome-producing creeping perennial plant native to Europe and is planted as a perennial in northern Midwest landscapes, where it occasionally escapes into natural areas
Has simple, elongated oval leaves that are slightly hairy and have smooth margins
Stems are hairy, winged with not much branching
Flowers are large head inflorescences and pinkish to lavender to all shades of blue, including a deep, bright blue; bracts below the inflorescence are green, with tiny, dark teeth along their edges
Similar in appearance to bachelor buttons/cornflower (Centaurea cyanus), but mountain knapweed flowers are larger

(Posted January 19, 2019)