SCABIOUS

A group of  field scabious with ragwort and knapweed in the background.  

The scabious flowerheads can contain up to 50 little flowers with the outer ones having longer petals than those in the centre. 

 The stamens stand up like pins but wither before the stigmas mature.  This ensures that they do not self-pollinate.

The flowers are rich in nectar and are visited by bees and butterflies.

Because the stems are covered in scabby scales it used to be thought, according to the doctrine of signatures, that it would be a good cure for the skin condition scabies; hence the name.