Centaurea diffusa is a biennial, annual, or short-lived perennial that is 8-40 in. (20.3-101.6 cm) tall.
Foliage
The leaves are stalked and lobed. The leaves become smaller and less divided as they move up the stem.
Flowers
Flowering occurs from July to September. White flowers develop in urn-shaped heads, in clusters, at the ends of the branches. The heads are subtended by leathery bracts. The lower and middle bracts have brown margins with spines at the tips.
Fruit
Seeds are achenes, 0.08-0.12 in. (2-3 mm) long with a plume of bristle-like hairs.
Ecological Threat
This species prefers well drained soils, gravel pits, trails, pastures and roadsides.