Scientific name: Succisa pratensis Moench
Common name: Devil's-bit Scabious
Description
Habit: Biennial, to 1.2 m high.
Stems: Erect, with sparsely hairy stems.
Leaves: Opposite, stalked, without stipules, mostly found around the lower part of stem; oval to lanceolate, untoothed or shallowly toothed, 5-20 cm long.
Flowers: Violet or purple, numerous, in dense, hemispherical heads; flower-head surrounded by an involucre of lanceolate bracts about as long as the flowers; each flower accompanied by small, hairy green scales, and surrounded by a cup-shaped epicalyx; calyx with 4 bristle-like teeth, often concealed within the epicalyx; corolla slightly irregular, with a long tube and 4 lobes; stamens 4; ovary inferior, style solitary.
Fruits: An achene.
Habitat: Wide variety of habitats, from bogs to marshes and limestone pavement.
Distribution: Abundant throughout.
Native status: Native
Of conservation interest: No