Knautia arvensis
| Knautia arvensis | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 3' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Early Fall |
| Meadows | |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Knautia arvensis (common name: field scabious)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring or autumn in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
If you have enough seed it would be worthwhile trying a sowing in situ outdoors in the spring. The seed germinates in the spring in the wild.
Division in the spring.
Basal cuttings in late spring. Harvest the shoots when they are about 10 - 15cm long with plenty of underground stem. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer.
Cultivation: Succeeds in any well-drained soil[1]. Prefers a dry soil[2][3]. Grows well on chalky soils[4]. Prefers a sunny position[5].
A very cold-hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to at least -25°c[1].
Grows well in the summer meadow[6][1]. The plant is an important source of nectar and pollen for bees and lepidoptera[6][7].
The plants are sometimes dioecious, if this is the case then male and female plants will need to be grown if seed is required.
Range: Europe, including Britain, north to latitude 69°, east to the Caucasus and W. Siberia.
Habitat: Meadows, pastures, hedgebanks and grassy hills, usually on dry soils and especially on limestone[2][3][1].
Medicinal: The whole plant is astringent and mildly diuretic[2]. An infusion is used internally as a blood purifier and externally for treating cuts, burns and bruises[2]. The fresh or dried flowering plant can be used, with or without the roots[2].
A homeopathic remedy is made from the plant[2]. It is used as a blood purifier and as a treatment for eczema and other skin disorders[2].
Pollinators: Bees, lepidoptera
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: Scabiosa arvensis.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Perennials - The Definitve Reference. Pan Books, 1991.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Baines, Chris. Making a Wildlife Garden.
- ↑ International Bee Research Association. Garden Plants Valuable to Bees. International Bee Research Association, 1981.