Stem

Up to 3 ft. tall and branched with lengthwise ridges along stem

Leaves

Cotyledons are oblong, fleshy and hairless, often with a purplish midvein; rosette leaves are oval to lance-shaped with smooth, toothed or lobed edges (margins)
Stem leaves are alternate and deeply pinnate-lobed; lower leaves are larger than upper leaves; edges are covered with short, stiff hairs

Common crupina rosette

Flower

Pink or purple; occur in clusters of 1-5 at the tips of branches; base of flower is vase-shaped and narrow, 3 to 4 times longer than wide

Common crupina flower

Root

Fibrous

Common crupina stem

Other

Grows well under a wide range of environmental and soil conditions; often found in rangeland, pastures, waste areas, roadsides and along waterways; no known occurences in Nevada
Annual; reproduces by seed;
Listed on the Federal Noxious Weed List

Control

Grazing or mowing can increase branching and seed production and are NOT effective
Apply 2,4-D, dicamba or picloram to actively growing plants prior to flowering; aminocyclopyrachlor, aminopyralid, chlorsulfuron, clopyralid or metsulfuron pre or post-emergence

Blecker, L., Creech, E., Dick, J., Gephart, S., Hefner, M., Kratsch, H., Moe, A., Schultz, B. 2020, Common crupina, Extension, University of Nevada, Reno, Field Guide

Learn more about the author(s)

Heidi Kratsch

Also of Interest:

Common crupina