Field Scabious (Knautia arvensis) is also known as Lady’s pincushion and blue bonnets and is a member of the Teasel family. It can reach a height of between 25 – 100 cm and prefers to grow in grassy places and dry soils. The flower is in bloom around July to September, with the flower head being flatter than the Small Scabious.
The seed is similar in appearance to a nut, it is cylindrical in shape with a hairy coating and can reach between 5 – 6 mm in size. The leaves form a rosette around the stem in pairs, with the lowest leave being around 300mm in length with a spear shaped tip. This flower is tall with a hairy texture, the flower head is often violet in colour with pink anthers. Each flower has 4 petals but they are all unewual, this is particularly the case with the outer petals.
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. When this plant is in flower, it attracts large numbers of bees, butterflies, moths and hoverflies.
Height: 25 – 100cm
Flowering Time: June – Oct
Preferred Conditions: Dry and well drained calcareous grassland but can also be found on chalk or lime stone meadow.
