''Succisa pratensis'', also known as devil's-bit or devil's-bit scabious, is a
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
in the
honeysuckle
Honeysuckles are arching shrubs or twining vines in the genus ''Lonicera'' () of the family Caprifoliaceae, native to northern latitudes in North America and Eurasia. Approximately 180 species of honeysuckle have been identified in both contin ...
family
Caprifoliaceae
The Caprifoliaceae or honeysuckle family is a clade of dicotyledonous flowering plants consisting of about 860 species, in 33, to 42 genera, with a nearly cosmopolitan distribution. Centres of diversity are found in eastern North America and ea ...
. It differs from other similar species in that it has four-lobed flowers, whereas small scabious and
field scabious
''Knautia arvensis'', commonly known as field scabious, is a herbaceous perennial species of flowering plant in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae.
Description
It is a perennial plant that grows between . It prefers grassy places and dry ...
have five lobes and hence it has been placed in a separate genus in the same family. It also grows on damper ground.
Name
Species of scabious were used to treat
scabies
Scabies (; also sometimes known as the seven-year itch) is a contagious skin infestation by the mite ''Sarcoptes scabiei''. The most common symptoms are severe itchiness and a pimple-like rash. Occasionally, tiny burrows may appear on the skin ...
, and other afflictions of the skin including sores caused by the
bubonic plague
Bubonic plague is one of three types of plague caused by the plague bacterium (''Yersinia pestis''). One to seven days after exposure to the bacteria, flu-like symptoms develop. These symptoms include fever, headaches, and vomiting, as well a ...
. The word scabies comes from the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
word for "scratch" (scabere). The short black root was in folk tales bitten off by the devil, angry at the plant's ability to cure these ailments, in anger against the
Virgin Mary
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...
, or as part of some 'devilish plot'. The Latin
specific epithet
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
''pratensis'' literally means "of the meadow".
Description
''Succisa pratensis'' is a
herbaceous
Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials.
Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous"
The fourth edition of t ...
perennial
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...
up to 1m tall, growing from a basal rosette of simple or distantly-toothed,
lanceolate
The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...
leaves. Its unlobed leaves distinguish it from ''
Knautia arvensis
''Knautia arvensis'', commonly known as field scabious, is a herbaceous perennial species of flowering plant in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae.
Description
It is a perennial plant that grows between . It prefers grassy places and dry ...
'' (
field scabious
''Knautia arvensis'', commonly known as field scabious, is a herbaceous perennial species of flowering plant in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae.
Description
It is a perennial plant that grows between . It prefers grassy places and dry ...
). The plant may be distinguished from ''
Centaurea scabiosa
''Centaurea scabiosa'', or greater knapweed, is a perennial plant of the genus ''Centaurea''. It is native to Europe and bears purple flower heads.
Greater knapweed is found growing in dry grasslands, hedgerows and cliffs on lime-rich soil. Upri ...
'' (
greater knapweed
''Centaurea scabiosa'', or greater knapweed, is a perennial plant of the genus ''Centaurea''. It is native to Europe and bears purple flower heads.
Greater knapweed is found growing in dry grasslands, hedgerows and cliffs on lime-rich soil. Upri ...
) by having its leaves in opposite pairs, not alternate as in knapweed. The bluish to violet (occasionally pink) flowers are borne in tight
compound flower heads or capitula. Individual flowers are tetramerous, with a four-lobed epicalyx and calyx and a four-lobed corolla.
Male and female flowers are produced on different flower heads (gynodioecious), the female flower heads being smaller. The flowering period in the British Isles is from June until October.
Distribution
''Succisa pratensis'' is common throughout most of the
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...
,
[ western and central Europe, extending eastwards into central Asia. It is absent from eastern Asia.] It has been introduced to eastern North America.
Ecology
It grows in wet or dry grassland and heath on acid or basic soils[ and is found in hedgerows, marshes, meadows and pastures.][Clapham, A.R., Tutin, T.G. and Warburg, E.F. 1968. ''Excursion Flora of the British Isles''. Cambridge University Press. ]
The flowers are visited by various types of insects, but especially frequently by hoverflies
Hover flies, also called flower flies or syrphid flies, make up the insect family Syrphidae. As their common name suggests, they are often seen hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults of many species feed mainly on nectar and pollen, whi ...
of the genus ''Eristalis
''Eristalis'' is a large genus of hoverflies, family Syrphidae, in the order Diptera. Several species are known as drone flies (or droneflies) because they bear a resemblance to honeybee drones.
Drone flies and their relatives are fairly commo ...
''. It is a good source of nectar and is the larval food plant of the marsh fritillary
The marsh fritillary (''Euphydryas aurinia'') is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. Commonly distributed in the Palearctic region, the marsh fritillary's common name derives from one of its several habitats, marshland. The prolonged larval s ...
, the eggs of which are laid in groups on the underside of the plant, and the narrow-bordered bee hawk-moth (''Hemaris tityus
''Hemaris tityus'', the narrow-bordered bee hawk-moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae which is native to the Palearctic.
Range
It has a wide range, from Ireland across temperate Europe to the Ural Mountains, western Siberia, Novosibirsk and t ...
''). As both invertebrates are rare, their survival relies on careful management of sites containing these plant and butterfly species.
It is parasitized by the chytrid fungus
Chytridiomycota are a division of zoosporic organisms in the kingdom Fungi, informally known as chytrids. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek ('), meaning "little pot", describing the structure containing unreleased zoöspores. Chytrids ...
''Synchytrium
''Synchytrium'' is a large genus of plant pathogens within the phylum Chytridiomycota. Species are commonly known as false rust or wart disease. Approximately 200 species are described,Karling, J.S. 1964. ''Synchytrium''.Academic Press: New York. ...
succisae''.[Karling, J.S. 1964. ''Synchytrium''.Academic Press: New York.]
Management
The aim is to produce an uneven patchwork of short and long vegetation by the end of the grazing period, between . This is to allow the devil's bit scabious food plant to grow.
This can be achieved through low intensity grazing (also known as extensive grazing) using cattle
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...
. Sheep
Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated s ...
are not so good as they are more efficient at removing wild plants.
Gallery
Image:Succisa pratensis01.jpg, Bloom
Image:succisa_pratensis.jpeg, ''Succisa pratensis'' on the German island Hiddensee
Hiddensee () is a car-free island in the Baltic Sea, located west of Germany's largest island, Rügen, on the German coast.
The island has about 1,000 inhabitants. It was a holiday destination for East German tourists during German Democratic ...
Succisa pratensis - Apis mellifera mellifera - Keila2.jpg, White-flowered form with the honey bee
Image:Succisa pratensis W.jpg, Foliage ''in situ'' showing leaf arrangement
Image:Succisa pratensis3 W.jpg, Closeup
Image:Succisa pratensis4 W.jpg, Underside
References
External links
*
The Plant Press Natural England Website
{{Taxonbar, from=Q161697
Articles containing video clips
pratensis