Succisa pratensis
Flowers June-Oct. Large violet-blue flower heads
Soil moisture tolerances
It is found on sites with less than 10 weeks dry soil per year and less than 10 weeks wet soil per year.
Soil fertility tolerances
It tends to favour sites with a low soil fertility (<10 mg P/kg, or P index 0-1)
Traditional medicinal use
It was used to treat scabies and other skin conditions and was apparently so effective that the Devil, in anger, bit off its root, which ends in an abrupt stub ('succisa' means 'cut off underneath'). It provides an important late season nectar source as it flowers into October.
