Botanical name: Centaurea nigra
Common names: Common knapweed, black knapweed
Characteristics
- Thistle-like plant from on all kinds of grassland (roadside verges, woodland rides, clifftops, gardens)
- Member of the carrot family.
- Thistle-like purple flower heads blooms from June to September. Composite flower heads made up of many small florets (tiny flowers) surrounded by a crown of long, ragged, pink bracts.
- Flowers provide a source of nectar for butterflies
- Oblong leaves are deeply divided
Location
Poet’s path
Friends of Robert Burns Birthplace Museum 