Centaurea cyanus

"Cornflower" redirects here. It is not to be confused with cornflour. For the fictional
anthropomorphic mouse, see Cornflower (Redwall). For the painting by Sergei Ivanovich Osipov,
see Cornflowers (painting).
Centaurea cyanus

Scientific classification
Kingdom:

Plantae

(unranked):

Angiosperms

(unranked):

Eudicots

(unranked):

Asterids

Order:

Asterales

Family:

Asteraceae

Tribe:

Cynareae

Genus:

Centaurea

Species:

C. cyanus
Binomial name

Centaurea cyanus
L.

Centaurea cyanus, commonly known as cornflower, bachelor's

button, bluebottle, boutonniere flower, hurtsickle or cyani flower, is an annual flowering
plant in the family Asteraceae, native to Europe. "Cornflower" is also used for chicory, and a few
other Centaureaspecies; to distinguish C. cyanus from these it is sometimes called common
cornflower. It may also be referred to as basketflower, though the term also refers to
the Plectocephalus group of Centaurea, which is probably a distinct genus.
It is an annual plant growing to 16-35 inches tall, with grey-green branched stems. The leaves
are lanceolate, 14 cm long. The flowers are most commonly an intense blue colour, produced
in flowerheads (capitula) 1.53 cm diameter, with a ring of a few large, spreading ray florets
surrounding a central cluster of disc florets. The blue pigment is protocyanin, which in roses is
red.[1]
In the past it often grew as a weed in cornfields (in the broad sense of the word "corn", referring
to grains, such as wheat, barley, rye, or oats), hence its name. It is now endangered in its native
habitat by agricultural intensification, particularly over-use of herbicides, destroying its habitat; in
the United Kingdom it has declined from 264 sites to just 3 sites in the last 50 years. [2] In reaction
to this, the conservation charity Plantlife named it as one of 101 species it would actively work to
bring 'Back from the Brink'.[3] It is also, however, through introduction as an ornamental plant in
gardens and a seed contaminant in crop seeds, now naturalised in many other parts of the world,
including North America and parts of Australia.
Contents
[hide]

1 Cultivation

2 Distribution

3 Folklore and symbolism

4 Trivia

5 In paintings

6 See also

7 References

8 External links

Cultivation[edit]

Dried Cornflower as used in herbal tea & tea blends

It is grown as an ornamental plant in gardens, where several cultivars have been selected with
varying pastel colours, including pink and purple. Centaurea is also grown for the cutflower
industry in Canada for use by florists. The most common colour variety for this use is a doubled
blue variety such as 'Blue Boy' or 'Blue Diadem'. White, pink, lavender and black (actually a very
dark maroon) are also used but less commonly. It is also occasionally used as a culinary
ornament. Cornflowers have been used and prized historically for their blue pigment. Cornflowers
are often used as an ingredient in some tea blends and herbal teas,[4] and is famous in the Lady
Grey blend ofTwinings. A relative, Centaurea montana, is a perennial plant which is also
cultivated as a garden plant. Cornflowers germinate quickly after planting.
Light requirements: full sun. Water requirements: high-average water daily. Soil pH requirements:
neutral (6.6-7.5) to mildly alkaline (7.6-7.8).
It flowers all summer.[5]
The cornflower is considered a beneficial weed, and its edible flower can be used to add colour
to salads.

Distribution[edit]
In Ireland, in Co.Clare (H9)Centaurea cynus is recorded in arable fields as very rare and almost
extinct.[6] while in the north-east of Ireland it was abundant before 1930s.[7]

Folklore and symbolism[edit]

Logo of Conservative People's Party of Estonia.

Flowering shoot of Cornflower. I. Disk-floret in vertical section.

In folklore, cornflowers were worn by young men in love; if the flower faded too quickly, it was
taken as a sign that the man's love was not returned. [8]
In herbalism, a decoction of cornflower is effective in treating conjunctivitis, and as a wash for
tired eyes.[9]
The blue cornflower has been the national flower of Estonia since 1968 and symbolizes daily
bread to Estonians. It is also the symbol of the Estonian political party, People's Union,
the Finnish political party, National Coalition Party, and the Swedish political party, Liberal
People's Party, and has since the dawn of the 20th century been a symbol for social liberalism
there.[citation needed] It is the official flower of the Swedish province ofstergtland and the school
flower of Winchester College and also of Dulwich College where it is said to have been the
favourite flower of the founder, Edward Alleyn.
The blue cornflower was one of the national symbols of Germany.[10] This is partly due to the story
that when Queen Louise of Prussia was fleeing Berlin and pursued by Napoleon's forces, she hid
her children in a field of cornflowers and kept them quiet by weaving wreaths for them from the
flowers. The flower thus became identified with Prussia, not least because it was the same color
as the Prussian military uniform.[11] After the unification of Germany in 1871, it went on to became
a symbol of the country as a whole. For this reason, in Austria the blue cornflower is a political

symbol for pan-German and rightist ideas.[12][13] Members of the Freedom Party wore it at the
opening of the Austrian parliament in 2006.[14]
It was also the favourite flower of Louise's son Kaiser Wilhelm I.[15] Because of its ties to royalty,
authors such as Theodor Fontane have used it symbolically, often sarcastically, to comment on
the social and political climate of the time.[citation needed]
The cornflower is also often seen as an inspiration for the German Romantic symbol of the Blue
Flower.[citation needed]
Due to its traditional association with Germany, the cornflower has been made the official symbol
of the annual German-American Steuben Parade.
In France the Bleuet de France is the symbol of the 11th November 1918 armistice and, as such,
a common symbol for veterans (especially the now defunct poilus of World War I), similar to
the Remembrance poppies worn in the United Kingdom and in Canada.[16]
The cornflower is also the symbol for motor neurone disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.[17]
Cornflowers are sometimes worn by Old Harrovians.

Trivia[edit]
It was the favorite flower of John F. Kennedy and was worn by his son, John F. Kennedy, Jr. at
his wedding in tribute to his father.[18]
Cornflowers were also used in the funeral wreath made for Pharaoh Tutankhamun.
It could be occasionally found on the banks of the river Main in Frankfurt.