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Centaurea scabiosa

 
Centaurea Scabiosa

 
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Centaurea scabiosa
 
 
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Centaurea scabiosa or Greater Knapweed is a perennial plant
Perennial plant

A perennial plant or perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. When used by gardeners or horticulturalists, this term applies specifically to perennial herbaceous plants....
 of the genus Centaurea
Centaurea

Centaurea is a genus of at least some 350, if not 500 to 600 species of herbaceous thistle-like flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Although the genus' distribution is Holarctic, most are native to the Palaearctic, where the Middle East and surrounding regions are particular species-rich....
. It is native to Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
 and bears purple flower heads.

Greater knapweed is found growing in dry grasslands, hedgerows and cliffs on lime-rich soil. Upright branched stems terminate in single thistle-like flowerheads, each having an outer ring of extended, purple-pink 'ragged' bracts which form a crown around the central flowers.






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Encyclopedia


Centaurea scabiosa or Greater Knapweed is a perennial plant
Perennial plant

A perennial plant or perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. When used by gardeners or horticulturalists, this term applies specifically to perennial herbaceous plants....
 of the genus Centaurea
Centaurea

Centaurea is a genus of at least some 350, if not 500 to 600 species of herbaceous thistle-like flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Although the genus' distribution is Holarctic, most are native to the Palaearctic, where the Middle East and surrounding regions are particular species-rich....
. It is native to Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
 and bears purple flower heads.

Greater knapweed is found growing in dry grasslands, hedgerows and cliffs on lime-rich soil. Upright branched stems terminate in single thistle-like flowerheads, each having an outer ring of extended, purple-pink 'ragged' bracts which form a crown around the central flowers. The plant has deeply dissected leaves which form a clump at the base.

This species is very valuable to bees. It is also a magnet for many species of butterfly. Among them is the Marbled White
Marbled White

The Marbled White is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. Found across most of Europe , north Africa and as far east as Iran. The late twentieth century has seen an expansion of its range in the UK....
.

This is the only known foodplant for caterpillar
Caterpillar

Caterpillars are the larval form of a member of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly phytophagous in food habit, with some species being entomophagous....
s of the Coleophoridae
Coleophoridae

Coleophoridae is a family of moths with about 1050 species, the vast majority belonging to the huge genus Coleophora . The family is represented on all continents but the majority are found in temperate areas of the Northern Hemisphere....
 case-bearer moth Coleophora didymella. Centaurea scabiosa has been used in traditional herbal healing as either a vulnerary or an emollient
Emollient

Emollients are substances that soften and soothe the skin. They are used to correct dryness and scaling of the skin. They are a key component in the manufacture of lipstick, lotions, and other cosmetic products....
.

The plant is sometimes confused with Devils-bit Scabious
Succisa pratensis

Succisa pratensis Moench also known as Devils-bit Scabious, is a flowering plant of the genus Succisa in the family Dipsacaceae. It differs from other similar species in that it has 4 lobed flowers, whereas Small Scabious and Field scabious have 5 lobes and hence it has been placed in a separate genus in the same family 6....
, however the leaves on this plant are arranged alternately, whereas in Devils-bit they are opposite.

External links

  1. The Wildflower Key British Isles to NW Europe by Francis Rose