Russian Knapweed
Asteraceae (Sunflower Family)
Class B Weed
Russian Knapweed is easy to identify because of their cone-shaped pink to light purple flowers. Russian knapweed causes chewing disease in horses. This perennial can spread with seeds or by deep-penetrating black roots. These black roots go down twenty-five feet poisoning the ground and killing native grasses. When the rain comes the soil washes away because the native grasses are gone. Digging the ground spreads this noxious weed. It is best to smother these plants with straw or other green waste.
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