Asteraceae

Brownray knapweed

Centaurea jacea L.

Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Centaurea

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Brownray knapweed (Centaurea jacea) — FlowerPhoto: Patrick Le Mao, CC0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (37)

Arabic: قنطريون بني
arz: قنطريون بنى
Basque: Mandabelar, Udazkeneko mandabelar
Belarusian: Васілёк лугавы
Bulgarian: Ливадна метличина
Catalan: Centàurea jàcea
Chinese: 褐苞矢车菊, 棕矢车菊, 棕色矢车菊
Czech: Chrpa luční
Danish: Almindelig Knopurt, Knopurt
Dutch: Knoopkruid
English: Brownray knapweed, Brown knapweed, Brown-ray knapweed, Brown-rayed knapweed, Common knapweed, Hardheads
Esperanto: Kampa centaŭreo
Estonian: Arujumikas
Finnish: Ahdekaunokki
French: Centaurée jacée, Centaure jacée, Centauree jacee, Jacée, Jacée des prés, Tête de moineau
German: Wiesen-Flockenblume, Gewöhnliche Flockenblume, Wiesenflockenblume
Hungarian: Réti imola
Italian: Fiordaliso stoppione
Latvian: Pļavas dzelzene
Lithuanian: Pakrūminė bajorė
Macedonian: Различник
Malayalam: സെന്റൗറിയ ജാസീ
nds: Harderwieker ruut
Norwegian Bokmål: Engknoppurt
Persian: قنطوریان
Polish: Chaber łąkowy
Russian: Василёк луговой, Василек луговой
Serbian: Različak, Различак, Васиљак, Зечина
Serbian (Latin): Različak
sgs: Pakrūmėnė bajuorė, Pakrūminė bajuorė
Slovak: Nevädza lúčna
Slovenian: Navadni glavinec
Spanish: Hierba de los burros, Yerba ojera, Cartamo silvestre, Cártamo silvestre, Escoba blanca y negra, Escoba negra, Escoba yesquera, Liebrecilla
Swedish: Rödklint, Gulskära
Turkish: Çayır peygamber çiçeğ
Ukrainian: Волошка лучна
vep: Nitrugižbobaine

Synonyms

Behen jacea (L.) Hill
Centaurea commutata (Koch) Stankov
Centaurea consimilis Boreau
Centaurea croatica (Hayek) Soest
Centaurea decumbens Dubois ex Pers.
Centaurea hastata Gugler
Centaurea humifusa Gueldenst. ex Ledeb.
Centaurea jacea f. jacea
Centaurea jacea f. majuscula Rouy
Centaurea jacea f. scopulicola Rouy
Centaurea jacea subsp. jungens Gugler
Centaurea jacea subsp. lusitanica Hayek
Centaurea jacea var. jacea
Centaurea jungens Gugler
Centaurea lacera Simonk.
Centaurea lusitanica (Hayek) Soest
Centaurea majuscula (Rouy) Soest
Centaurea media Gugler
Centaurea mollis Schleich.
Centaurea nemophila Jord. ex Nyman
Centaurea nigrescens Gren. & Godr.
Centaurea platylepis Peterm.
Centaurea pratensis (Lam.) Salisb.
Centaurea scopulicola (Rouy) Soest
Centaurea syrmiensis Gugler
Centaurea variabilis H.Lév.
Centaurea viretorum Jord. ex Nyman
Cyanus collinus G.Gaertn., B.Mey. & Scherb.
Cyanus jacea (L.) G.Gaertn., B.Mey. & Scherb.
Jacea pratensis Lam.
Jacea pratensis subsp. pratensis
Jacea tomentosa Gilib.

Flowers

In flower: June to September (from 3,581 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Forb/herb
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Canada: introduced, Greenland: introduced, Lower 48 states: introduced

Photos

FlowerPhoto: Patrick Le Mao, CC0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Francesco Cecere, CC0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: katunchik, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: de:Benutzer:Tigerente, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Mirko Ubović, CC0, from iNaturalist
Photo: AnRo0002, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Frederico Ramos, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: ape, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: AnRo0002, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: KP Laer, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: Pavel Smirnov, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: AnRo0002, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Centaurea

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.