Photographs: Co. Cork and Co. Clare

Field Scabious Knautia arvensis Cab an ghasáin Family: Caprifoliaceae Flowering: July-September. Perennial or biennial. Native. Blue-lilac flowers with larger and more irregular outer florets and shorter bracts. Basal leaf rosettes with the leaves often hairy, blunt-toothed and usually pinnate. Upper leaves are smaller and less divided. A hairy, erect plant with branched and often purple-spotted stems. Height 40-100cm Prefers dry calcareous or neutral soils on grassland and roadsides Similar: Devil's-bit Scabious, Succisa pratensis

Field Scabious, Knautia arvensis, Cab an ghasáin