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Centaurea cyanus - L.
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Common Name
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Cornflower
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Family
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Asteraceae or Compositae
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Synonyms
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Known Hazards
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None known
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Habitats
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Once a common weed of cornfields, as a result of modern agricultural practices it is now very rare in the wild[9, 13]. Found especially on porous, nutrient-rich soils[268].
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Range
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Most of Europe, including Britain, to the Near East.
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Edibility Rating
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Medicinal Rating
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Care
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Physical Characteristics
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Centaurea cyanus is a ANNUAL growing to 1 m (3ft 3in) by 0.3 m (1ft).
It is not frost tender. It is in flower from Jun to August, and the seeds ripen from Aug to October. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, flies, lepidoptera, self.The plant is self-fertile.
It is noted for attracting wildlife.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soils.
It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.
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http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:163_Centaurea_cyanus_L.jpg |
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| http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Centaurea_cyanus_oiekroon.JPG |
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Habitats
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Cultivated Beds;
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Edible Uses
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Edible Parts: Flowers.
Edible Uses: Colouring.
The young shoots are edible[7]. Flowers - raw or cooked. The fresh florets can be used in salads[238]. They are used as a vegetable or a garnish[183]. An edible blue dye is obtained from the flowers, used for colouring sugar and confections[183].
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Medicinal Uses
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Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Antifungal; Antipruritic; Antirheumatic; Antitussive; Astringent; Diuretic; Emmenagogue; Laxative; Ophthalmic; Purgative; Tonic.
Cornflower has a long history of herbal use, though it is seldom employed nowadays. In France it is still used as a remedy for tired eyes, but opinions differ as to its efficacy[254, 268]. Traditionally it is said to work best on blue eyes, whilst Plantago major (great plantain) was used for brown eyes[268]. The dried flowers are antipruritic, antitussive, astringent, weakly diuretic, emmenagogue, ophthalmic, very mildly purgative, and tonic[4, 7, 9, 21, 201, 240]. An infusion can be used in the treatment of dropsy, constipation, or as a mouthwash for ulcers and bleeding gums[9, 238]. This infusion is also taken as a bitter tonic and stimulant, improving the digestion and possibly supporting the liver as well as improving resistance to infections[254]. A water distilled from the petals was formerly in repute as a remedy for weak eyes[4] and a soothing lotion for conjunctivitis[7, 240]. The seeds are used as a mild laxative for children[7, 254]. A decoction of the leaves is antirheumatic[7, 254]. Antifungal [303].
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Other Uses
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Dye; Hair; Ink; Pot-pourri.
A blue ink and a dye is obtained from the petals mixed with alum-water[4, 100, 115, 201]. The dye gives a lovely colour to linen, but it is transient[4]. The dried petals are used in pot-pourri in order to add colour[4, 268]. Extracts of the plant are added to hair shampoos and rinses[238].
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Cultivation details
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Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[1, 200]. Prefers a well-drained fertile soil and a sunny position[200]. Tolerates dry, low fertility and alkaline soils[200]. Established plants are drought tolerant[201]. A very ornamental plant[1], there are many named varieties[188]. The flowers are often used in dried-flower arrangements because they retain their colour well[7]. A good plant for bees, butterflies and moths[20, 30, 108]. The cornflower is considered to be a good companion, in small quantities, for cereal crops[18, 20], though another report says that its greedy roots deprive the cultivated plants of nutrients and its tough stem dulls the reaper's sickle[4]. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[233].
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Propagation
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Seed - sow March in the greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in May. The seed can also be sown in situ during April, whilst in areas where the winters are not too cold a sowing in situ during September will produce larger and earlier-flowering plants
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 You can download this page as a PDF
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Botanical References
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17200
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Links / References
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[1]F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
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Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
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[4]Grieve. A Modern Herbal.
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Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
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[7]Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants.
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Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.
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[9]Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants.
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Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
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[13]Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants.
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Very interesting reading, giving some details of plant uses and quite a lot of folk-lore.
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[18]Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants.
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Details of beneficial and antagonistic relationships between neighbouring plants.
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[20]Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening.
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Fairly good.
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[21]Lust. J. The Herb Book.
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Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
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[30]Carter D. Butterflies and Moths in Britain and Europe.
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An excellent book on Lepidoptera, it also lists their favourite food plants.
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[100]Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide.
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An excellent and well illustrated pocket guide for those with very large pockets. Also gives some details on plant uses.
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[108]International Bee Research Association. Garden Plants Valuable to Bees.
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The title says it all.
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[115]Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain.
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Written about a hundred years ago, but still a very good guide to the useful plants of Britain.
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[183]Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
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Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
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[188]Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers
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Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.
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[200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
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Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
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[201]Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting.
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A well produced and very readable book.
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[233]Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
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A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.
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[238]Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses.
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A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
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[240]Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement).
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Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.
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[254]Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants
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An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
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[268]Stuart. M. (Editor) The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism
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Excellent herbal with good concise information on over 400 herbs.
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[303]PDR (Physicians' Desk Reference) Staff PDR for Herbal Medicines
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Fourth Edition
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Subject : Centaurea cyanus
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