Common name:
Sheep's-bit scabious
Family:
Scientific name:
Jasione montana
Main flower color:
Range:
Mostly in the west of England, Scotland and Wales, near the coast
Height:
Up to 30 cm
Habitat:
Cliffs, dunes, bluffs and grassland, mainly coastal
Flowers:
A dense, spherical cluster up to 3 cm in diameter, subtended by a ring of broad, overlapping, hairy, green or reddish bracts, held well above the leaves. Flowers are pale blue to purple, with five narrow lobes, often recurved, and a pair of exserted pistils. The five stamens are much shorter than the pistils
Leaves:
Narrowly lanceolate, with wavy edges and shallow edge teeth, on short stalks, in a basal rosette; also a few narrower, stalkless stem leaves. All have a covering of soft, downy hairs, as do the stems
Season:
May to September
Rarity:
★★★★★
