Centaurea nigra
Common names
knapweed
Family
Asteraceae
Flora category
Vascular – Exotic
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledonous composites
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
CENNIG
Conservation status
Not applicable
Flower colours
Red/Pink, Violet/Purple
Year naturalised
1870
Origin
W. and C. Europe
Etymology
centaurea: From the classical name kentaurion (Greek) or centaureum (Latin) in the fables of ancient Greece, which describe the plant healing the foot of Chiron, a centaur famed for his knowledge of medicine and astronomy.
nigra: Black