Asteraceae
Rough star-thistle
Centaurea aspera
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Genus
- Centaurea
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Common names
By language (5)
- Catalan
- Bracera, Travalera
- English
- Rough star-thistle
- French
- Centaurée rude, Centauree rude
- Spanish
- Bormaga
- Welsh
- Y bengaled arw
Synonyms
- Alophium tenuifolium Cass.
- Calcitrapa heterophylla Moench
- Calcitrapa parviflora Lam.
- Calcitrapoides aspera (L.) Holub
- Calcitrapoides heterophylla (Willd.) Holub
- Centaurea alophium DC.
- Centaurea aspera var. aspera
- Centaurea aspera var. parcespinosa Sennen
- Centaurea aspera var. praetermissa DC.
- Centaurea aspera var. subinermis DC.
- Centaurea auriculata Balb. ex Pers.
- Centaurea diversifolia Lag. ex Boiss.
- Centaurea heterophylla Willd.
- Centaurea isnardii L.
- Centaurea parviflora Lam.
- Centaurea praetermissa Martrin-Donos
- Centaurea seridis Loisel.
- Cistrum asperum Hill
Flowers
- In flower
- April to November (from 378 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)
Characteristics
- Growth habit
- Forb/herb
- Lifespan
- Biennial
- In the US and Canada
- Lower 48 states: introduced
Photos
FlowerPhoto: Florencia Grattarola, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: Shiqi Zhou, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: Shiqi Zhou, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Fallaner, CC BY 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Lesley Marrion-Cole, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons Photo: Georges Olioso, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF 
Photo: Daniel Heras González, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons Photo: Andbama, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF 
Photo: Fabien Piednoir, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Ghislain118 https://www.fleurs-des-montagnes.net, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
More in Centaurea
- CornflowerCentaurea cyanusAsteraceae
- Brownray knapweedCentaurea jaceaAsteraceae
- Blessed thistleCentaurea benedictaAsteraceae
- Greater knapweedCentaurea scabiosaAsteraceae
- Yellow star-thistleCentaurea solstitialisAsteraceae
- Common knapweedCentaurea nigraAsteraceae
- Red star-thistleCentaurea calcitrapaAsteraceae
- Maltese star-thistleCentaurea melitensisAsteraceae
- Diffuse knapweedCentaurea diffusaAsteraceae
- Spotted knapweedCentaurea stoebeAsteraceae
- Iberian knapweedCentaurea ibericaAsteraceae
- Bighead knapweedCentaurea macrocephalaAsteraceae
Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.