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Cornflower Petals Blue

Once considered a weed of arable fields, the development of intensive agricultural practices nearly wiped out the Cornflower in the wild. This delicate, blue flower is now most likely to occur as a garden escapee, as part of intentional wildflower seeding, or as the result of the disturbance of soil containing old seed banks. Its strongholds remain roadside verges, scrub, waste ground and farmland. It flowers from June to August, often alongside other ‘arable weeds’. Like all members of the daisy family, the bright blue flowers of the Cornflower are actually composite heads of small flowers. In the Cornflower, the outer florets are star-like, and smaller, more purplish flowers are found in the middle. Stems and leaves are long and pointy, with hairy, blackish buds at the tips.

Cornflowers are edible and often used to add colour to food and drink but they are also believed to have medicinal properties.