DEVIL'S BIT SCABIOUS : Succisa pratensis
Also known as a pincushion flower.
Devil's-bit scabious have busy rounded flower heads that range in colour from blue to pinky-purple. It enjoys wet areas of muirland and marshes.
The Wildlife Trusts website tells us that Devil's-bit scabious gets its Latin name - 'Scabere', meaning to scratch - from its traditional use as a treatment for skin conditions, such as scabies and the sores of bubonic plague. Its common name arises from the fact that its roots look truncated, as if bitten off, legend has it, by the Devil.
This one was found on Carman Muir in August 2023.
Woodland walk at Lomond Shores August 2024. A slightly different flowerlng stage to that above.
The same plant as above showing how it has grown amongst grasses.
WILDLIFE TRUSTS : https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/wildflowers/devils-bit-scabious
