Centaurea cyanus

A creeping perennial which can grow up to 90cm in height. They can be found in arable fields as well as on land freshly disturbed. The flower heads are between 15-30mm in diameter with bluish outer florets and reddish purple inner florets.

Cornflower was probably introduced to Britain with the arrival of agriculture and was certainly present by the Iron Age. It continued to be a serious weed right up to the beginning of the last century when improved seed cleaning technologies were developed. The resulting decline was exacerbated with the introduction of modern herbicides and by the early 70s it was a very rare plant. It continues to crop up as a casual on road verges and waste ground but as an arable weed it is restricted to a very few sites in southern and eastern England.