Centaurea americana

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Centaurea americana
Centaurea americana flower
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Asterales Family: Asteraceae Tribe: Cynareae Genus: Centaurea Species: C. americana
Binomial name
Centaurea americana

Centaurea americana, also called American Basketflower, is an annual native throughout most of North America. Its common name comes from the underside of the inflorescence, which has a basket weave pattern on it and on the flowerbuds.

The pink petals look somewhat like a thistle with a cream colored center. Blooms are 4" in diameter and are held from May until June. The plant can reach 5-6' tall and has rough 4" long lance-shaped leaves.