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Devil's-bit scabious or simply devil's-b

Succisa pratensis

The story

Long ago, people looked down at the damp grasslands of northern Europe and noticed a plant with a root that seemed abruptly cut short. This curious, truncated root sparked rich folklore, leading ancient communities to believe the plant was tied to magical or medicinal properties, earning it the enduring and dramatic name of devil's-bit.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

How to use it

While agricultural intensification has caused its numbers to decrease in some areas, this species remains a valuable component of damp grasslands, heathlands, and limestone grasslands, where it thrives specifically in nutrient-poor soils.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Gardening tip

If you are trying to grow this species, keep in mind that it is restricted to nutrient-poor soils, making it an ideal choice for unimproved damp grasslands or chalky, limestone garden areas rather than highly fertilized beds.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

About

Succisa pratensis, known as devil's-bit scabious or simply devil's-bit, is a flowering plant in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae, formerly included in the teasel family Dipsacaceae. It is common throughout northern Europe and western Asia in heathland, unimproved damp grassland and chalk or limestone grassland, where it is restricted to nutrient-poor soils. It has decreased somewhat due to agricultural intensification in many areas, but remains widespread and even common throughout its range. Its name derives from the curiously truncated root, which in ancient times was thought to be associated with magical or medicinal properties.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA

Ecology

How it lives

Propagated by
Seed
Full detailsevery field on the record, to copy
Name
Succisa pratensis
Slug
succisa-pratensis
Kingdom
Plantae
Family
Caprifoliaceae
Genus
Succisa
Species
pratensis
Wikidata QID
Q161697
Propagule type
seed
Container suitable
No
Indoor suitable
No
OSSI pledged
No
Hazard level
1
Data completeness
43

Generated sections & citations

summarywikipedia

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  • wikipedia (description.summary) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Succisa_pratensis