Succisa pratensis – Scabiosa succisa – Blue Buttons – Devil’s Bit Scabious –

Description

Succisa – There is a sole species of a perennial in this genus. Its found naturally occurring in boggy meadows and moorland from Europe to Western Siberia, and in Northwestern Africa. They produce minutely hairy rosettes of obovate to elliptic basal leaves and erect to decumbent stems with smaller, narrower leaves. Its pincushion like flowers, are late and long flowering, are similar to those of Scabiosa. Grow in a damp wild garden or meadow. Grow in poor to moderately fertile, peaty soil that is moist at through the growing season, in full sun or partial shade. S. pratensis – Scabiosa succisa – Blue Buttons – Devil’s Bit Scabious – This rosette forming, rhizomatous perennial from Europe, Northwestern Africa, the Caucasus and Russia grows 6-24″ tall and 24″ wide. It produces thin, branched, softly hairy stems and egg to elliptic shaped, usually smooth edged, mainly basal leaves, to 12″ long. From mid summer to late autumn, bears solitary, pincushion like, violet, rarely white or pink flowers, to 1″ across. Zones 4-7