Practical
Plants

Centaurea cyanus

Cornflower

an annual member of the Centaurea genus in the family Compositae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
annual
Height
1 m
Spread
0.3 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Bees, Flies, Lepidoptera, Self
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees, Flies, Lepidoptera, Self

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The young shoots are edible[20]. Flowers - raw or cooked. The fresh florets can be used in salads[14]. They are used as a vegetable or a garnish[7]. An edible blue dye is obtained from the flowers, used for colouring sugar and confections[7].

Product or use
Colouring
Plant part
Flowers

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Cornflower has a long history of herbal use, though it is seldom employed nowadays. In France it is still used as a remedy for tired eyes, but opinions differ as to its efficacy[16][17]. Traditionally it is said to work best on blue eyes, whilst Plantago major (great plantain) was used for brown eyes[17]. The dried flowers are antipruritic, antitussive, astringent, weakly diuretic, emmenagogue, ophthalmic, very mildly purgative, and tonic[19][20][21][12][11][15]. An infusion can be used in the treatment of dropsy, constipation, or as a mouthwash for ulcers and bleeding gums[21][14]. This infusion is also taken as a bitter tonic and stimulant, improving the digestion and possibly supporting the liver as well as improving resistance to infections[16]. A water distilled from the petals was formerly in repute as a remedy for weak eyes[19] and a soothing lotion for conjunctivitis[20][15]. The seeds are used as a mild laxative for children[20][16]. A decoction of the leaves is antirheumatic[20][16].

Product or use
Antipruritic
Product or use
Antirheumatic
Product or use
Antitussive
Product or use
Astringent
Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Emmenagogue
Product or use
Laxative
Product or use
Ophthalmic
Product or use
Purgative
Product or use
Tonic

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

A blue ink and a dye is obtained from the petals mixed with alum-water[19][2][4][11]. The dye gives a lovely colour to linen, but it is transient[19]. The dried petals are used in pot-pourri in order to add colour[19][17]. Extracts of the plant are added to hair shampoos and rinses[14].

Product or use
Dye
Product or use
Hair care
Product or use
Ink
Product or use
Pot-pourri

Environment

Range
Most of Europe, including Britain, to the Near East.
Habitat
Once a common weed of cornfields, as a result of modern agricultural practices it is now very rare in the wild[21][5]. Found especially on porous, nutrient-rich soils[17].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline, very alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerances
drought
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
tolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow March in the greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in May. The seed can also be sown in situ during April, whilst in areas where the winters are not too cold a sowing in situ during September will produce larger and earlier-flowering plants

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[1][10]. Prefers a well-drained fertile soil and a sunny position[10]. Tolerates dry, low fertility and alkaline soils[10]. Established plants are drought tolerant[11]. A very ornamental plant[1], there are many named varieties[8]. The flowers are often used in dried-flower arrangements because they retain their colour well[20]. A good plant for bees, butterflies and moths[9][18][3]. The cornflower is considered to be a good companion, in small quantities, for cereal crops[6][9], though another report says that its greedy roots deprive the cultivated plants of nutrients and its tough stem dulls the reaper's sickle[19]. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[13].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  2. Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969-00-00 ISBN 0192176218

    ↩

  3. International Bee Research Association. Garden Plants Valuable to Bees. International Bee Research Association. 1981-00-00

    ↩

  4. Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain.

    ↩

  5. Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-600-33545-3

    ↩

  6. Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants. Watkins 1979-00-00

    ↩

  7. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2

  8. Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-86318-386-7

    ↩

  9. Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978-00-00 ISBN 0-88266-064-0

    ↩1↩2

  10. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3

  11. Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers Ltd. 1993-00-00 ISBN 0-304-34324-2

    ↩1↩2↩3

  12. Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983-00-00 ISBN 0-553-23827-2

    ↩

  13. Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0 460 86048 8

    ↩

  14. Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7513-020-31

    ↩1↩2↩3

  15. Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  16. Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996-00-00 ISBN 9-780751-303148

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  17. Stuart. M. (Editor) The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism Orbis Publishing. London. 1979-00-00 ISBN 0-85613-067-2

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  18. Carter D. Butterflies and Moths in Britain and Europe. Pan 1982-00-00 ISBN 0-330-26642-x

    ↩

  19. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  20. Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-356-10541-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  21. Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981-00-00 ISBN 0-600-37216-2

    ↩1↩2↩3

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