Rounded violet-blue pincushion heads on tall stems in a damp meadow or wet heath, above undivided oval leaves; the root ends as though bitten off
Devil's-bit scabious, Succisa pratensis.
Nature · Wildflowers & flowers
Devil's-bit scabious
Native · flowers Jun–Oct · damp meadows, fens, marshes and wet heath
Succisa pratensis — Caprifoliaceae (formerly Dipsacaceae)
A late-flowering perennial of damp meadows, marshes and wet heaths, with rounded, pincushion heads of violet-blue flowers on tall stems. Its short, blunt-ended root gave rise to a folktale that the devil bit it off in fury at its healing power. It is the main food plant of the marsh fritillary butterfly and a bounty for late-season bees, hoverflies and butterflies.
How to spot them
- ▸Globe-shaped, violet-blue flower heads about 2–3 cm across, with all florets much the same size and four-lobed
- ▸Undivided, oval to lance-shaped leaves, the basal ones in a rosette; stems up to about 1 m
- ▸The stamens protrude slightly, giving each head a pin-cushion look; occasional pink or white forms
- ▸Rootstock ends abruptly, as if bitten off, hence the name
- ▸Field scabious has flat, larger heads with bigger outer florets and lobed, hairy leaves, and prefers dry lime-rich ground
How to know it
Folklore says the devil, angry at the healing power of this plant, bit off the end of its root, leaving it blunt
Devil's-bit scabious (Plantlife).
This is the main larval food plant of the marsh fritillary butterfly
Devil's-bit scabious — the butterfly's caterpillars feed on it.
Its rich nectar and pollen feed bees, butterflies, moths and hoverflies from summer into autumn, with blooms from June to October
Devil's-bit scabious (Plantlife).
Unlike its dry-grassland relative with lobed leaves, this scabious has undivided oval leaves and favours marshes, fens and wet heaths
Devil's-bit scabious versus field scabious.
Quick-fire facts
- •Family Caprifoliaceae in modern classification (formerly Dipsacaceae, the teasel family)
- •Plantlife gives a flowering season of June to October and a height up to 100 cm
- •The 'devil's-bit' of the name comes from a folktale that the devil bit the root, leaving its flat, truncated end; the Latin Succisa means 'cut off'
- •Scabious comes from the Latin scabere, 'to scratch'; the plant treated itchy skin conditions and even plague sores
- •Plantlife describes it as rich in pollen and nectar, attracting bees, butterflies, moths and hoverflies
- •The main food plant of the marsh fritillary butterfly, a species of damp grasslands that has declined sharply in Britain
- •A plant of damp environments: marshes, wet heathlands, fens and woodland; widespread across the UK
- •Plantlife notes its relatives small scabious (Scabiosa columbaria) and field scabious (Knautia arvensis)
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Sources
- Plantlife — Devil's-bit Scabious (Succisa pratensis)
- Royal Horticultural Society — Knautia arvensis (field scabious)