''Centaurea scabiosa'', or greater knapweed, is a

perennial plant 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 ...

of the genus ''

Centaurea ''Centaurea'' () is a genus of over 700 species of herbaceous thistle-like flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Members of the genus are found only north of the equator, mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere; the Middle East and surrounding reg ...

''. It is native to Europe and bears purple

flower head A pseudanthium (Greek for "false flower"; ) is an inflorescence that resembles a flower. The word is sometimes used for other structures that are neither a true flower nor a true inflorescence. Examples of pseudanthia include flower heads, compos ...

s. 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. This is the only known food plant for

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sym ...

s of the

Coleophoridae __NOTOC__ The Coleophoridae are a family of small moths, belonging to the huge superfamily Gelechioidea. Collectively known as case-bearers, casebearing moths or case moths, this family is represented on all continents, but the majority are foun ...

case-bearer moth '' Coleophora didymella''. ''Centaurea scabiosa'' has been used in traditional herbal healing as either a

vulnerary Wound healing refers to a living organism's replacement of destroyed or damaged tissue by newly produced tissue. In undamaged skin, the epidermis (surface, epithelial layer) and dermis (deeper, connective layer) form a protective barrier agai ...

or an

emollient A moisturizer, or emollient, is a cosmetic preparation used for protecting, moisturizing, and lubricating the skin. These functions are normally performed by sebum produced by healthy skin. The word "emollient" is derived from the Latin verb ''mo ...

. The plant is sometimes confused with devils-bit scabious, however the leaves on this plant are arranged alternately, whereas in devils-bit they are opposite.

Description

This perennial herb grows with an erect grooved stem up to 90 cm high. The leaves are alternate, pinnatifid and with stalks. The flower heads are 5 cm across and on long stalks. The florets are red-purple.Parnell, J. and Curtis, T. 2012. ''Webb's An Irish Flora'' Cork University Press.Clapham, A.R., Tutin, T.G. and Warburg, E.F. 1968 ''Excursion Flora of the British Isles.'' Cambridge University Press

Habitat

Dry grassland, roadsides and calcareous substrate.

Distribution

Found in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

and

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Images

Centaurea scabiosa MichaD 2.jpg, Bombus veteranus - Centaurea scabiosa - Keila.jpg, Centaurea scabiosa - põldjumikas Valingu.jpg, Bombus lucorum - Centaurea scabiosa - Keila.JPG, 20150723Centaurea scabiosa2.jpg,

References

* The Wild Flower Key British Isles-N.W. Europe by Francis Rose, page 385

External links

* * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q1569852

scabiosa ''Scabiosa'' is a genus in the honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae) of flowering plants. Many of the species in this genus have common names that include the word scabious, but some plants commonly known as scabious are currently classified in r ...

Flora of France Flora of Denmark Flora of Estonia Flora of Germany Flora of Ireland Flora of Italy Flora of Latvia Flora of Lithuania Flora of Norway Flora of Russia Flora of Spain Flora of the United Kingdom Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus