Common crupina

Discuss this plant with the guide — choose this profile as a possible match and prepare your observations for Colorado Plants & Practical Care.

Crupina vulgaris

Colorado noxious weed · List A — Eradicate. CO-rules-2025

Uncommon in Colorado. All populations are designated for eradication statewide. This is a management category, separate from danger ratings. Category source · What the lists mean.

Dense stands reduce forage. Exposure help.

Identification caveat: Washington source used for biology; Colorado’s current rules supply the legal designation. “Not known toxic” in the source is not a feeding-safety assessment.

Still researching this plant

This is a sourced working profile. Evidence is incomplete for People, Dogs & cats, Other animals. Identification and source-photo limits are explained below. Independent botanical and veterinary review is pending. Uncertainty is not a finding that the plant is safe.

Three views of this plant

Source-identified reference photographs; these are not a complete identification key. A source location outside Colorado does not establish local occurrence.

Crupina vulgaris: An open fruiting head with conspicuous dark bristles. — **seed head** — An open fruiting head with conspicuous dark bristles.
Clément Maouche · CC BY 4.0
Photo source and identification
Original record · Original image
Source scientific identification plus visual morphology review of the selected photograph. This is a source-identified reference image, not a specimen-based taxonomic determination.
iNaturalist large server-resized image; no local crop, colour change, or generative editing. Gallery display preserves the full image; the catalog preview uses a CSS crop.

Crupina vulgaris: Two detached fruits with dark, bristly pappus hairs, resting on a palm. — **seeds** — Two detached fruits with dark, bristly pappus hairs, resting on a palm.
Clément Maouche · CC BY 4.0
Photo source and identification
Original record · Original image
Source scientific identification plus visual morphology review of the selected photograph. This is a source-identified reference image, not a specimen-based taxonomic determination.
iNaturalist large server-resized image; no local crop, colour change, or generative editing. Gallery display preserves the full image; the catalog preview uses a CSS crop.

Crupina vulgaris: Slender upright stems with elongated flower heads and a mature fruiting head; other plants occur in the background. — **flowering habit** — Slender upright stems with elongated flower heads and a mature fruiting head; other plants occur in the background.
Clément Maouche · CC BY 4.0
Photo source and identification
Original record · Original image
Source scientific identification plus visual morphology review of the selected photograph. This is a source-identified reference image, not a specimen-based taxonomic determination.
iNaturalist large server-resized image; no local crop, colour change, or generative editing. Gallery display preserves the full image; the catalog preview uses a CSS crop.

Recognize

A winter annual with finely divided, bristly leaves and narrow, vase-shaped purple flowerheads. WA-common-crupina

Plants & habitat

Reproduces from seed and can form dense stands that reduce available livestock forage. WA-common-crupina

People

The reviewed sources do not establish species-specific ingestion effects or a safe exposure amount for people. Missing evidence does not establish safety.

Dogs & cats

The reviewed sources do not establish species-specific ingestion effects or a safe exposure amount for dogs or cats. Missing evidence does not establish safety.

Other animals

The reviewed sources do not establish species-specific ingestion effects or a safe exposure amount for livestock. Missing evidence does not establish safety.

Before taking action

Confirm identification and the requirements of your county weed program. For chemical treatment, follow the current product label, including restrictions around animals and water. S27

This is a statewide eradication priority. Contact your county weed program promptly for identification and an approved management and disposal plan. CO-rules-2025

References

CO-rules-2025 — Colorado Noxious Weed Act rules, 8 CCR 1206-2, Colorado Secretary of State / Department of Agriculture. Accessed 2026-09-07T01:07:48+00:00. Locator: Parts 3.1, 4.1, 5.1; management provisions; effective May 15, 2025.
WA-common-crupina — Common Crupina, Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board. Accessed 2026-09-07T01:08:59+00:00. Locator: Identification, ecological impacts, management; Washington legal class not applied to Colorado.
S27 — 2103 – Colorado Noxious Weeds, PlantTalk Colorado · CSU Extension. Accessed 2026-09-07T00:23:57+00:00. Locator: List A, B and C management categories.

Content revised 2026-09-07 03:50:00Z · Source checks dated separately in the references.