Creeping Knapweed

• Creeping knapweed is a declared weed in Tasmania under the Tasmanian Biosecurity Act 2019 and associated Regulations. The importation, sale and distribution of creeping knapweed are prohibited in Tasmania.
• The legal responsibilities of landholders and other stakeholders in dealing with creeping knapweed are laid out in the Creeping Knapweed Statutory Weed Management Plan.

What does creeping knapweed look like?

• Creeping knapweed is an erect, perennial (long-lived) herb growing from 40 to 100 cm high. The stems are covered with dense soft grey hairs, while the leaves are silvery to greyish green and slightly hairy. The rosette leaves (leaves in a whorl close to the ground) are shortly stalked, lobed and toothed, while the stem leaves are only slightly toothed or entire and have no stalks. The flower-heads are urn-shaped, made up of numerous purple, lilac or pink tubular florets, and are born singly on the ends of branches. Creeping knapweed has an extensive and rapid-growing, woody root system which gives rise to dense colonies with many aerial shoots.
• Seeds germinate during winter and summer. Creeping knapweed remains as a rosette in its first summer, dies back in autumn, and then produces new growth and flowers in the following spring and summer.
• Creeping knapweed produces large numbers of seeds although seedlings are rare. Seed can be spread in contaminated hay and other seed. Creeping knapweed also spreads via root fragments being transported by cultivation equipment.