Description

A tall, hairy, grassland perennial with a flower like head of blue-violet flowers with pink anthers. Each flower consists of four unequal petal lobes particularly on the larger outer flowers. Field scabious could be confused with Small scabious or Devil’s-bit scabious, both also members of the teasel family. Small scabious as the name suggests is smaller, slimmer and less hairy and the flowers have five not four petal lobes. Devil’s-bit scabious is best separated from the other two by its dark, un-toothed, broad-lanceolate leaves. Field scabious flowers from June to October.

Habitat Information

A native perennial herb of dry, well drained calcareous and neutral grassland. It can be found on chalk and limestone meadow, rough pasture, hedgerows, verges and grassy waste ground. When in flower it attracts large numbers of bees, butterflies, moths and hoverflies.

Growing Information

Sow autumn or spring. Germination can be a little slow and erratic.