Knawel

(Scleranthus annuus)

 

Color Drawing: O. W. Thome (1885-1905), Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz.

Line Drawing: Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, Second Edition.

 

Knawel (Scleranthus annuus)

Alien: Native of Europe.

Identification: A tiny, wiry, bushy plant, sometimes prostrate on the ground. Flowers with petals absent, only green sepals with white borders present. Leaves elongate, thin, pointed. Plant 1 to 4 inches tall.

Distribution: Throughout eastern North America. Also found in parts of the Pacific Northwest and California.

Habitat: Knawel is a weed of disturbed habitats such as empty lots, sidewalks, fields, and roadsides.

Flowering period: March to October.

Knawel (Scleranthus annuus)

Similar Species:

The wiry, ugly appearance of this small plant with its needlelike leaves is usually enough to identify it.

Similar Species

No Similar Species