Knawel is a winter annual weed in the pink family that is native to Eurasia and Africa. It has been introduced to much of the USA and Canada. This small plant grows 2-5 inches tall and the spreading and ascending stems can form dense mats. They germinate in winter and grow during warm spells, bloom in early spring and die in late spring or early summer. They spread by seeds. This weed can grow in a variety of conditions and is often found in disturbed sites, fields and lawns. It prefers sandy and gravelly soils and is drought tolerant but tolerates moist sites and sun to partial shade.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Creeping; Horizontal; Prostrate; Spreading
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Linear
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Up to 1 inch long opposite linear to slightly curved green leaves with stiff points are fused at the base. They are arranged at right angles to the pair above and below. The dense spacing can make them appear whorled.
Flower form
Insignificant
Flower shape
Star
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
1/8 inch flowers in dense clusters at the tips of forking branches. The petal-like sepals are green with white edges, 2-10 yellow stamens and somewhat spiny to the touch.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit detail
Egg-shaped capsule with 1 seed
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Stems have many branches and are spreading to ascending. They are hairless to minutely hairy.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Macaronesia, Europe, Asia, North Africa
Distribution
Eastern, Central and Pacific coast of USA and Canada
Food & Medicine
Fruit type
Capsule
Uses (ethnobotany)
Has been used in herbal medicine
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Lawn
Garden tags
#winter annual weed #cool season weed #lawn weed #dry soils tolerant #drought tolerant #full sun tolerant #partial shade tolerant #weedy