Perennial Cornflower - Centaurea montana

Short to medium rhizomatous cottony plant with winged stems. Flowerheads violet or blue 60 to 80 mm the outer florets spreading, much longer than the inner. Flower bracts with a blackish brown fringe.

Dry open places.

June to August.

Perennial - Possibly casual naturalised from garden origins, the plants photographed were half a mile from the nearest habitation.

Only common as a garden plant, it does however turn up around Britain as a casual quite regularly.

Uncommon in Leicestershire and Rutland as a wild plant and not recorded in the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire.