Scabiosa columbaria

Scabiosa columbaria, called the small scabious or dwarf pincushion flower, is a widespread species of flowering plant in the genus Scabiosa, native to Europe, Africa, and western Asia, from Sweden to Angola. In the garden it is a short-lived deciduous perennial. In the wild in Europe it prefers to grow in calcareous grasslands.

Growing to 1 m tall by 0.5 m, it has simple branched grey-green leaves, and pale lavender or blue multi-petalled flowers from summer to autumn.

Subspecies
The following subspecies are currently accepted:


 * Scabiosa columbaria subsp. banatica (Waldst. & Kit.) Diklic
 * Scabiosa columbaria subsp. caespitosa Jamzad
 * Scabiosa columbaria subsp. ''columbaria
 * Scabiosa columbaria subsp. pratensis (St.-Lag.) Braun-Blanq.