Weed Information: Centaurea cyanus (cornflower)
Back to Plant List

Centaurea cyanus (cornflower)

Family: Asteraceae

Description

Also known as bachelor`s button. In Europe wheat is called corn; hence, the name `cornflower` refers to the plant`s ability to grow in wheat fields. This species is particularly variable in flower color and may be pink, purple, blue, white, or any combination of these colors. The stems and leaves are often covered with long, scattered, cobweb-like white hairs.

Characteristics

Flower Color
  • Red (or pink)
  • Blue
  • Blue-purple
  • Purple
  • Red-purple
  • White
  • Multi-colored
Inflorescence Type (How the flowers are arranged on the plant)
  • Head
  • Solitary, axillary
  • Solitary, terminal
Number of Petals
  • 5 petals
  • 6 petals
  • 7 petals
  • 8 petals
  • 9 petals
  • 10 petals
  • more than 10 petals
Petal Separation
  • Completely free to base
  • United > 75% of length
Petal Tip
  • Laciniate
  • Pointed
Flower Symmetry
  • Flowers regular
Flower Length (Head length in the Asteraceae)
  • 1.0 cm (.40 inch)
  • 1.5 cm (.6 inch)
  • 2.0 cm (.8 inch)
  • 2.5 cm (1.0 inch)
Flower Width (Head width in the Asteraceae)
  • 2.5 cm (1.0 inch)
  • 3.0 cm (1.2 inches)
  • 3.5 cm (1.4 inches)
  • 4.0 cm (1.6 inches)
  • 4.5 cm (1.8 inches)
  • 5.0 cm (2.0 inches)
Number of Sepals
  • sepals lacking
  • more than 10 sepals
Sepal Separation
  • Completely free to base
Sepal Tip
  • Laciniate
  • Toothed
Flower Sex
  • Bisexual (perfect)
Number of Styles
  • 1 style
Number of Stamens
  • 5 stamens
Stamens Attached to the Petals
  • Stamens attached to the petals
Stamens Connate (united)
  • Anthers united, syngynoecious

Carpel Separation
  • Carpels united (or one)
Number of Carpels
  • 1 carpel
Ovary Position
  • Inferior (epigynous)
Fruit Type
  • Achene
Fruit Length at Maturity
  • 2 mm (.08 inch)
  • 3 mm (.12 inch)
Fruit Width at Maturity
  • 1 mm (.04 inch) or less
  • 2 mm (.08 inch)
Burs
  • Fruit or seed NOT bur-like

Leaf Arrangement
  • Alternate
Leaf Type
  • Simple (including lobed leaves)
Stipules
  • Lacking
Tendrils
  • Tendrils absent
Venation
  • Pinnate
Petiole (leaf stem) Blade Ratio
  • Petiole absent (leaf sessile)
  • Petiole < 25% total length
Leaf Length (blade PLUS petiole)
  • 1 - 2 cm (.40 - .80 inch)
  • 2 - 4 cm (.80 - 1.60 inches)
  • 4 - 10 cm (1.60 - 4.0 inches)
  • 1 - 2 dm (4.0 - 8.0 inches)
Leaf Width
  • 1 - 5 mm (.04 - .20 inch)
  • 5 - 10 mm (.20 - .40 inch)
  • 1 - 2 cm (.40 - .80 inch)
  • 2 - 4 cm (.80 - 1.6 inches)
Leaf Shape (simple leaves only)
  • Linear or filiform
  • Oblanceolate
  • Pinnately lobed
Leaf or Leaflet Margin
  • Dentate
  • Entire
  • Lobed
Leaf or Leaflet Blade Base
  • Acuminate (attenuate)
  • Clasping
Leaf or Leaflet Tip
  • Acuminate (attenuate)
  • Acute
Leaf or Leaflet Blade Surface
  • Floccose
  • Lower leaf surface more hairy
  • Tomentose
Succulence
  • Not succulent

Milky Juice
  • Juice NOT milky (watery)
Woodiness
  • Herbaceous
Spines or Thorns
  • Spines or Thorns ABSENT
Aromatic (vegetative structures)
  • Not aromatic
Life Cycle
  • Annual
Growth Habit (while flowering)
  • Erect, columnar (narrow)
  • Erect, spherical (bushy)
Plant Height at Maturity
  • 2 - 4 dm (8.0 - 16.0 inches)
  • 4 - 6 dm (1.3 - 2.0 feet)
  • 6 - 8 dm (2.0 - 2.6 feet)
  • 8 - 10 dm (2.6 - 3.3 feet)
Wind Dissemination
  • Not wind disseminated
Moisture Regime
  • Mesic
Chlorophyll
  • Present

Stem Cross Section
  • Round
Flowering Stem Leaves
  • Stem leaves greatly reduced
  • Stem uniformly leafy
Main Stem Branches
  • Main stem branched

Root or Vegetative Propagule
  • Tap Root

US State
  • Alabama
  • Arkansas
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Illinois
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Massachusetts
  • Maine
  • Michigan
  • Missouri
  • Mississippi
  • North Carolina
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • Ohio
  • Pennsylvania
  • South Carolina
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Virginia
  • Wisconsin
  • West Virginia
  • Hawaii
  • Indiana
  • Maryland
  • Rhode Island
  • Vermont
  • Arizona
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Iowa
  • Idaho
  • Minnesota
  • Montana
  • North Dakota
  • New Mexico
  • Nevada
  • Oklahoma
  • Oregon
  • South Dakota
  • Utah
  • Washington
  • Wyoming
  • Nebraska
Canadian Province or Territory
  • British Columbia
  • New Brunswick
  • Nova Scotia
  • Ontario
  • Prince Edward Island
  • Quebec
  • Alberta
  • Manitoba
  • Newfoundland
  • Yukon
Other
  • District of Columbia
  • Greenland

  • California Growers Weed Identification Handbook, 1968 - 1998 University of California Publication # 4030-1, See page: 147
  • Field Guide To The Common Weeds Of Kansas, 1983 (ISBN 0-7006-0233-X) See page: 110
  • Gilkey`s Weeds of the Pacific Northwest, 1980 (ISBN 0-88246-039-0) See page: 337
  • How to Know the Weeds, 1972, (ISBN# 0-697-04880-2) See page: 175
  • Identifying Seedling and Mature Weeds (Southeastern US) 1980 North Carolina Agricultural Research Service, Bulletin #461 See page: 106
  • Manual of Ohio Weeds, 1931 Ohio Ag. Exp. Station Bull. # 475, See page: 108
  • More Turfgrass and Related Weeds: Beyond the Color Atlas, 2011 Clemson University Publishing ISBN# 978-0-9798777-5-9 See Page: 164
  • Northwest Weeds, 1990 (ISBN 0-87842-249-8) See page: 147
  • Ontario Weeds, 1992 Agdex 640, Publication #505 See page: 242
  • Some Weedy Plants of North Carolina, 1955 North Carolina Ag. Ext. Circular # 390, See page: 53
  • S.W.S.S. Weed ID Guide, 1993 Section Number and Five letter code: 13CENCY
  • Weed Seeds of the Great Plains, 1993 University of Kansas# 92-125-B ISBN# 0-7006-0651-3 See index #: 203
  • Weeds, 1955 (1980) Walter Conrad Muenscher, ISBN# 0-8014-1266-8 See page: 440
  • Weeds of Arkansas 1981 (MP 169-5M-3-81) See page: 10
  • Weeds of California, 1970, State of California Publications and Documents. See page: 437, 438
  • Weeds of California and other Western States, 2007 (ISBN 13: 978-1-879906-69-3) See Page: 241
  • Weeds of Eastern Washington and Adjacent Areas, 1972 (LOC 72-83635) See page: 278
  • Weeds of the Midwestern United States & Central Canada, University of Georgia 2010, ISBN#0-8203-3506-1 See page: 74
  • Weeds of the Northeast, 1956, Univ. of Delaware Field Manual #1 See species #: 59
  • Weeds of the Northeast, 1997 Cornell University ISBN# 0-8014-8334-4 See page: 126
  • Weeds of the Northern United States and Canada, 1964 Montgomery See page: 177
  • Weeds of the South, University of Georgia 2009, ISBN#0-8203-3046-9 See page: 61
  • Weeds of the Southern United States, 1975, North Carolina Ag. Extension Circular #599 See page: 10
  • Weeds of the United States and Their Control, Lorenzi 1987, ISBN# 0-442-25884-4 See page: 304
  • Weeds of the West, 1992 (ISBN 0941570-13-4) See page: 82
  • Weeds of the West, 2000 (ISBN 0941570-13-4) See page: 86
  • Weeds of Utah, 1971 UAES Special Report 21, See page: 93
  • Listed as a `Weed` by the Biota of North America Program, 2008 X
  • Listed in the WSSA Composite List of Weeds X
Back to Plant List