FIELD SCABIOUS

Knautia arvensis

Teasel Family [Dipsacaceae]  

month8jun month8june month8jul month8july month8Aug month8sep month8sept month8Oct

status
statusZnative
 
flower
flower8azure
 
inner
inner8white
 
morph
morph8zygo
 
petals
petalsZ4
lobes
type
typeZclustered
 
type
typeZglobed
 
stem
stem8round
 
sex
sexZfemalesexZbisexual
gynodioecious

6th Aug 2004, Edale, Derbyshire. Photo: © RWD


6th Aug 2004, Edale, Derbyshire. Photo: © RWD


6th Aug 2004, Edale, Derbyshire. Photo: © RWD


25th June 2004, Grindleford, Derbyshire Photo: © RWD
Note how the green sepal-like bracts are of alternate size; they are in two rows behind the flower.


25th June 2004, Grindleford, Derbyshire Photo: © RWD
Note the two rows of sepal-like bracts, plus a third row of the thinner sepals behind those.


13th Aug 2007, Chesterfield Canal, Chesterfield. Photo: © RWD


20th July 2007, Cumbria Coastal Path, Cartmel. Photo: © RWD
The flowers are more symmetrical in the middle but much more zygomorphic on the periphery.


20th July 2007, Cumbria Coastal Path, Cartmel. Photo: © RWD
An outer flower with three outer very long petal-lobess and one inner which is much shorter (but still longer than those flowers in the centre).


20th July 2007, Cumbria Coastal Path, Cartmel. Photo: © RWD
There are only four petal-lobes in a floret in Field Scabious (rather than the 5 of the similar Small Scabious. Each flower has 4 stamens (most are lacking their anthers in this specimen). The central flowers are actinomorphic.


30th Aug 2008, Magpie Mine, Derbyshire. Photo: © RWD


23rd Sept 2008, Blackleach Reservoir, Walkden, Greater M/cr. Photo: © RWD


26th Sept 2011, Chelmorton, Derbys. Photo: © RWD
The fruits close-up; the fringed rings are the remains of the individual floret sepals, numbering 10 (there are only 4 to 5 in Devil's-bit Scabious). The fruits are like miniature urns or gourds.


23rd Sept 2009, Blackleach Country Pk, Walkden, Gtr M/cr. Photo: © RWD
The 'eyelashes' at the top of the 'gourds'.


31st Aug 2015, Smardale Gill, Newbiggin, Cumbria. Photo: © RWD
The 'eyelashes' at the top and long white hairs below.


19th July 2005, Magpie Mine, Derbyshire. Photo: © RWD
A shamble of stem leaves.


19th July 2005, Magpie Mine, Derbyshire. Photo: © RWD
In pairs on the stem and not dissimilar to the divided leaves on the stems of Common Valerian (which cannot possibly be mistaken for Field Scabious).


19th July 2005, Magpie Mine, Derbyshire. Photo: © RWD
At first glace they look pinnate, but they are actually finely lobed or divided.


19th July 2005, Magpie Mine, Derbyshire. Photo: © RWD
Stem leaves amplexicaul from which an opposite pair of flower stalks may also emerge, the leaves on which are simple. Many short stem hairs.


Easily confused with : Small Scabious

Delineating Features between Small and Field Scabious : The green sepal-like bracts immediately behind the flower head are in two rows (or so one book says, but if you look-see yourself, you will see that there are not two rows, but at least 4!! - so whoever is right, if anyone is wrong, is yet to be seen), the two sets of rows being of un-equal size. From above the flower, the bracts appear alternate in size. Also, whereas in Small Scabious (Scabiosa columbaria), the number of petal-lobes in an individual floret is five, the number of petal-lobes in Field Scabious is only four

Field Scabious is also the taller of the two. The stem is also hairier than Small Scabious.

Distinguishing Feature: Both Field Scabious and Small Scabious have a single flower head on the end of a long stalk which is lilac/steel blue in colour, with the individual florets clustered together in a compact head, but where the outer petal-lobes are much larger than the in-ward facing petal-lobes. The stem leaves are also completely different, being very fine pinnate-like but with few fine branches on Small Scabious (broader with shorter lobes on Field Scabious).

Note that Small Scabious (Scabiosa columbaria), Field Scabious (Knautia arvensis), Devil's-bit Scabious (Succisa pratensis) and Giant Scabious (Cephalaria gigantea) all belong in differing genera (although all four reside in the same Dipsacaceae family).

The flowers of both Field Scabious and Devil's-bit Scabious are Gynodioecious, meaning the flowers are a mixture of Female and Bisexual flowers.


USE BY BUTTERFLIES
LAYS EGGS ON CATERPILLAR CHRYSALIS BUTTERFLY
Adonis Blue
Essex Skipper
Marbled White
Silver-spotted Skipper
Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary



  Knautia arvensis  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Dipsacaceae  

Distribution
family8Teasel family8Dipsacaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Knautia
Knautia
(Field Scabious)

FIELD SCABIOUS

Knautia arvensis

Teasel Family [Dipsacaceae]  

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