Blue Cornflower

Seeds: 2700  / Botanical name: Centaurea cyanus

A universal medicinal plant that even healed the wounds of the centaur Chiron

The wild variety of cornflower transforms entire landscapes with its unmistakable blue in summer. Its delicate stems branch out within a few weeks into a slender summer flower reaching up to 80 centimeters in height. The open flower head is surrounded by a ring of sterile tubular florets, which is always blue in wild cornflowers; however, in cultivated varieties for natural gardens, it can also be white, pink, red, violet, or even black. These ornamental varieties, however, have no medicinal properties. Cornflowers are a favorite of bees, bumblebees, and butterflies. They are well-suited as cut flowers for fresh arrangements and also for dried bouquets.

Natural habitat: Cornflowers are originally native to the southeastern Mediterranean region. In the Middle Ages, they populated grain fields throughout Central Europe, which explains their name. Intensified fertilization and pesticide use have significantly reduced their numbers, but they are now more frequently found again on organically farmed field margins.