From the Latinscabies , itch , for which some of these plants were used as remedies , or from the Latinscabiosus , rough or scurfy , refer to the grey matte on the leaves of some species(Dipsacaceae).Scabious . This genus of 100 metal money of hardy two-year and perennial herbaceous plant , primarily from the Mediterranean region , gives a act which are good cosmetic plants for the garden . The three species which are British aboriginal works , Scabiosa arvensis , S. columbariaandS. succisa , are among the prettiest - flowering wild plants and are quite suited to garden cultivation . S. succisa , the devil ’s bit , is especially honorable as it has flowers of a lustrous blue colour . In the plants in theDipsacaceaefamily the so - called flower is made up of a large act of small florets gain into a head , orcapitulum;somewhat as inCompositae .
recurrent coinage cultivatedS. arvensis(syn . Knautia arvensis),field scabious , 1 foot , flower bluish - lilac , July — August , Europe ( include Britain).S. caucasica,1 - 1.5 feet , flowers mauve , blue or white , June to October , Caucasus ; var . ` Clive Greaves ’ , flowers mauve , prominent ; ‘ Miss Willmott ’ , bombastic , white ; ‘ Moonstone ’ , large , lavender - dismal . S. columbaria,1 - 2 feet , lilac or blue - purple , July to September , Europe let in Britain . S. graminifolia,9 inches , leaves narrow , silvery - whitened , flowers wan mauve to rose , summer , southerly Europe . S. ochroleuca,2 invertebrate foot , chicken , July to November , southeastern Europe ; var.webbiana,6 inches , blossom creamy - clean . S. succisa(syn . Succisa pratensis),devil ’s bit , 1 - 2 foot , grim - empurpled or white , July to October , Europe including Britain .
CultivationThese plants all do well in calcareous or limy soil , which , however , should be enriched . S. caucasicais desirable for the herbaceous border , butmay also be gram to supply cut bloom , for which use its recollective clean stems make it very suitable . These plant should be swipe and carve up every three or four year , go them in spring as disturbance in autumn can kill them . S. craminifoliaandS. ochroleuca webbianaare suitable for the rock garden . S. atropurpureacan be arouse from seed sown in February or March in a temperature of 60 ° F ( 16 ° C ) . Plant out the seedling in May to flower as annual , for later affray ( July ) will get them to behave as biennial . In the latter typesetter’s case , over - winter them in a cold frame and constitute out in April . They are unspoilt for cutting . Other species may be propagated by class of the clumps in March .
