Centaurea scabiosa
Centaurea scabiosa
FamilyGenus: Centaureanative in Germany
🌿
162
Species
interact
🔗
3366
Interactions
documented
🐛
2
Host relationships
Species
About this species
Centaurea scabiosa is a native herbaceous perennial of dry, sunny grasslands and open places in Great Britain. It bears broad leaves and flowers from July to August. The plant suits free-draining, nutrient-poor soils in full sun.
Ecological network
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PollinationLarval hostFlower visit
Ecological significance
As a native broad-leaved herb of dry, sunny, nutrient-poor habitats, Centaurea scabiosa contributes to open grassland and ruderal plant communities where permanent soil moisture is low.
Annual cycle
Flowering takes place in July and August.
Safety note
The species is not known to be toxic and is regarded as child-safe.
Standort & Merkmale
Light
Sonne
Moisture
Trocken
Soil
Mittelzehrer (Normaler Boden)
Flowering period
Jul – Aug
Soil reaction
Basisch / Kalkhold
Bioregion
Continental
Growth form
Krautige Pflanze
Woodiness
Nicht verholzt
Leaf type
Breitblättrig
Plant height
0.684 m
Morphological traits: TRY ID3 (CC BY 3.0) & TRY ID81 (CC BY)
Corolla tube
13.6 mm
Pollen
2.0233 mg/Blüte
Pflege & Anbau
Plant in full sun. Use a freely draining, moderately fertile soil; the species performs well in lean, dry conditions and needs little supplemental watering once established.
Scientific profile
Centaurea scabiosa is a herbaceous, non-woody perennial in the daisy family (Asteraceae), with broad leaves and an average plant height of about 68 cm. The seeds have a mean mass of roughly 9.4 mg. The species is native in Great Britain and occurs across much of Europe and temperate Asia. It typically flowers during July and August. Ellenberg-type indicator values place it in full sun, dry moisture conditions, nutrient-poor soils, and sites with low disturbance. It is assessed as unthreatened (Red List *).
Pollinators & visitors
147 Arten interagieren mit dieser Pflanze
Bombus terrestrisBombus humilisBombus sylvarumZygaena carniolicaBombus lapidariusBombus veteranusBombus sylvestrisBombus pratorumApis melliferaHalictus scabiosaeMegachile lagopodaSphaerophoria scriptaHalictusLasioglossum interruptumLasioglossum malachurumBombus ruderariusHalictus simplexOsmia spinulosaBombus wurfleniiLasioglossum subhirtumBombusLasioglossum leucozoniumLasioglossum pauxillumBombus vestalisLycaena phlaeasBombus pascuorumBombus soroeensisBombus hortorumBombus jonellusBombus semenoviellusBombus lucorumBombus rupestrisBombus bohemicusBombus campestrisBombus barbutellusBombus cryptarumBombus distinguendusBombus quadricolorBombus subterraneusBombus schrenckiBombus hypnorumBombus confususBombus norvegicusSeladonia submediterraneaPseudoanthidium nanumHylaeus nigritusOsmia leaianaEpisyrphus balteatusSeladonia tumulorumRhingia campestris
Other flower visitors
13 other species visit the flowers
PsithyrusSphaerophoriaHalictidaeEupeodes goeldliniMuscidaeBombyliusRhyncomya peusiScoliaKritempispsithyrus sylevstrisHalictidae spec3Syrphidae spec2Kritempis sp1
Sources & data origin
•Cook et al. (2025) UK Butterfly & Moth Traits (DOI: 10.5285/dbc7cc17-cbbd-49dd-bab4-8e8855768d66)
•pollinator_interactions
•Baden-Böhm F, App M, Thiele J (2022) — The FloRes Database: A floral resources trait database for pollinator habitat-assessment generated by a multistep workflow. Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institut, Dryad, DOI: 10.5061/dryad.djh9w0w29 (CC0)
•FloraWeb / BfN
•EIVE 1.0 — Dengler et al. (2023), DOI: 10.3897/VCS.98324 (CC BY 4.0)
•GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — GBIF Secretariat (2024), DOI: 10.15468/39omei (CC BY 4.0)
•TRY Categorical Traits (ID3) — Kattge et al. (2012), DOI: 10.17871/TRY.3 (CC BY 3.0)
•TRY Global Spectrum (ID81) — Díaz et al. (2016/2021), DOI: 10.17871/TRY.81 (CC BY)
•Govaerts R et al. (2025) — World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP) v14. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. DOI: 10.34885/xs7h-ze42 (CC BY 4.0)
•Foto: © Copyright: All rigts reserved and belong to Yury Sharipov / Adobe Stock / AdobeStock_283119074
All data is licensed under CC BY 4.0, CC0, or compatible terms. Attribution according to license conditions. Full source overview →