Alpine Knapweed vs Lesser Star-thistle

Centaurea nigrescens compared with Centaurea diluta

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alpine Knapweed	Lesser Star-thistle
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order same	Asterales (Daisies & Sunflowers)	Asterales (Daisies & Sunflowers)
Family same	Asteraceae (Daisy Family)	Asteraceae (Daisy Family)
Genus same	Centaurea	Centaurea
Species	Centaurea nigrescens	Centaurea diluta

Evolutionary Relationship

Alpine Knapweed and Lesser Star-thistle share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Centaurea.

Conservation Status

Alpine Knapweed

NE — Not Evaluated

Lesser Star-thistle

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alpine Knapweed	Lesser Star-thistle
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Alpine Knapweed

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (11 countries), North America (Canada, United States), and Oceania and the Pacific (Australia).

Lesser Star-thistle

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Found across Europe (11 countries) and North America (United States).

Alpine Knapweed

The Alpine Knapweed (Centaurea nigrescens) is a species in the genus Centaurea. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions. Widely distributed across Europe (11 countries), North America (Canada, United States), and Oceania and the Pacific (Australia).

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 8 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇷 France 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 🇺🇸 United States