Centaurea jacea

Centaurea jacea, also known as brown knapweed, is a wild plant that blooms in meadows, thickets, and even in mid-mountain meadows. As its other name pink cornflower suggests, it is a close relative of the mountain cornflower. Like the latter, it bears flowers in heads, but its flowers are pinkish-purple. It is a very hardy perennial with a generous nectar-producing flowering. It is ideal in borders and beds that make room for nature. It is easily grown in ordinary, well-drained but rather moist soil.

Native to Europe and Siberia, Centaurea jacea is a perennial herbaceous plant of the Asteraceae family. It reaches a height of about 60cm (24in) when in bloom. It develops into a somewhat loose erect tuft, with rough stems and leaves. The leaves come in two types. Those located at the base of the stems are larger, attached to the stem by a petiole and often divided. Those that grow along the stems are smaller, without petioles and entire. Their colour is a greyish-blueish-green. This aerial vegetation is deciduous. Flowering usually begins in June, and continues more sporadically in summer. If the plant is pruned after this first wave of flowering, it will re-flower from September to October. At the branched ends of the stems, inflorescences in pink heads resembling cornflowers appear, about 3cm (1in) wide on average. Each head is composed of tiny tubular flowers assembled on a central disk, surrounded by a collar of longer and fringed tubular flowers. Beneath this head, a decorative involucre of grey-brown bracts is visible when the flower is in bud. The nectar-bearing and honey-bearing flowering attracts many pollinating insects. This perennial spontaneously self-seeds in light soil.

Of medium stature, Centaurea jacea is particularly well adapted to perennial borders. Delicate and light, this perennial forms pastel-coloured patches that will blend well with catmints, low grasses, globe thistles, ixias (corn lilies), and godetias in a mixed border. In a "wildflower meadow" setting, centauries, grasses, sainfoin, phacelia, borage, agrimony, corn marigold, California poppy, cosmos, and Damask nigella can mix together.

The name Centaurea comes from the centaur Chiron, who used the flowers of this plant to heal a gaping wound caused by an arrow dipped in the Hydra's blood. This plant now bears his name as the genus name.