Photo Credit: USDA APHIS PPQ Archive, USDA APHIS PPQ, Retrieved from Bugwood.org (Image Number: 1149103), used under CC BY 3.0 US, modified
Common Name: Common crupina Scientific Name: Crupina vulgaris Habitat: roadsides, farmland, grassland, forests - open areas Provincial Designation: Prohibited Noxious Prohibited Noxious weeds are plant species that are designated as "prohibited noxious" in the Alberta weed regulation. Prohibited noxious weeds must be destroyed, meaning all growing parts need to be killed or the plant's reproductive mechanisms need to be rendered non-viable. |
Origin
Common crupina is native to the Mediterranean and was first discovered on rangeland in Idaho in 1968.
Legislated Because
This species quickly forms dense stands, out-competing native species. It can spread into forage crops or become a contaminant in grass seed and hay.
Description
Common crupina has a pink to purple flower that is 5-13 mm wide. A key characteristic of this plant is that it has deeply lobed, grey leaves that have stiff spiny prickles along the edges. The stem has several branches and grows erect, up to 100 cm tall.
Learn more about this species:
See Fact Sheet - Alberta Invasive Species Council