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The Tyrol knapweed (Centaurea nigrescens) belongs to Asteraceae (the Aster family). It is a perennial herb that is distributed from the southern European Alps to the Apennine Mountains. It grows in grasslands and open forests up to an elevation of 2200 m and reaches a height of 30 to 120 cm. The stem is erect and hardly branches at all. The lower leaves are elliptical to lanceolate or ovate, with entire or serrated margins, and are sometimes slightly shallowly lobed. The upper leaves are narrower and are either pinnately lobed or entire. From around July to August, it produces purple flower heads at the stem tips. The involucre is 12-15 mm in diameter and bears black or light brown appendages. Because it has been introduced to the northern United States, Canada, and southern Australia, it is now considered a noxious weed.
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