Botanical name: Knautia aventis     
Folk names: Pincushion flower, gypsy rose

Type: Perennial

Wildlife: High quality nectar for bees and butterflies including the Comma, small tortoiseshell, large white, small white. Finches eat its seed although I haven’t seen this yet!

Flowers: June and July

Decorative merit: ‘Pinhead’ flowerheads filled with up to fifty tiny, soft mauve flowers. Two prominent stamens stand upright when mature. Outer flowers are larger than those in the centre. Wiry plant with two or three bare and slightly branched stems. Dull green, hairy leaves at the base which persist throughout winter, with leaves becoming more divided further up the stem. 25cm to 1m high.

Where: Sun. Middle of borders, mini meadows, verges.

Folklore: Do you know of any stories or customs related to this flower?

Honeysuckle family relative of devilsbit scabious.

Donate seeds to Exeter Seed Bank