Centaurea stoebe, the spotted knapweed or panicled knapweed, is a species of Centaurea native to eastern Europe. It is also an invasive species in the United States, and particularly widespread in dryer regions of the West, which has a similarly dry climate as the Mediterranean. This species and Centaurea diffusa are tumbleweeds — plants that break free of their roots and tumble in the wind, facilitating the dispersal of their seeds.