Devil's-bit Scabious - Succisa pratensis

This pincushion like bright flowers provide an important nectar source for late flying butterflies, bees and hoverflies. The name derives from the fact that species of Scabious were used to treat scabies, and other afflictions of the skin including sores caused by the Bubonic Plague. The short black root looks like it has been bitten off, and in folk tales it was bitten off by the devil, angry at the plant's ability to cure these, or as part of some 'devilish plot’.

Habitat

Damp chalk grasslands and neutral grasslands, marshy areas, meadows and woodlands; it prefers moist soil but will tolerate drier conditions.

Description

The flowerheads are a very distinctive purplish blue colour and look like a pincushion and are in flower from July to October. It can be easily confused with Field Scabious and Small Scabious but can be distinguished by its untoothed, hairless leaves and stem; the stem leaves are also narrower than its root leaves.

Biology

Male and female flowers differ from each other, they are produced on different heads and the female heads are smaller than the males. Devil’s-bit Scabious provides an important source of nectar in later summer, in particular for the Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk Moth and the Marsh Fritillary butterfly whose eggs are laid on the underside of the plant.