Scabiosa columbaria
Pigeon's Scabious
Taxonomy and growth
- Family
- Dipsacaceae
- Genus
- Scabiosa
- Life cycle
- perennial
- Height
- 0.75 m
- Spread
- 0.75 m
- Fertility
- Bees, Lepidoptera
- Flower type
- hermaphrodite
- Pollinators
- Bees, Lepidoptera
Uses
Edible uses
Leaves[3]. No more details are given.
- Plant part
- Leaves
Environment
- Range
- Europe, including Britain, south and east from the Arctic circle to N. Africa, Siberia and W. Asia.
- Habitat
- Dry calcareous pastures, banks etc, to 600 metres[2].
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- no shade
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- Zone 6+
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy, clay
- Soil pH
- acid, neutral, alkaline, very alkaline
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- intolerant
Propagation
Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. The seedlings are subject to damping off[1] so water with care and make sure to give adequate ventilation. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots once they are large enough to handle and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer. Division in spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found it best to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame, planting them out once they are well established in the summer.
Cultivation
Prefers a neutral or alkaline soil and a sunny position[4]. Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[1]. Grows well in a dry sunny meadow[4]. The flowers are a good nectar source for bees and lepidoptera, the plant is also a good food source for the caterpillars of many butterfly species[4]. This species name is sometimes treated as the group name for an aggregate of species[4]. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[5].
References
F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00
Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00
Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0 460 86048 8