Scabiosa atropurpurea L., 1753

Common names

• 🇬🇧 Sweet Scabious
• 🇫🇷 Scabieuse pourpre noir, Scabieuse pourpre foncé, Scabieuse des jardins, Sixalix pourpre noir

Taxonomy

• Kingdom: Plantae
• Clade: Tracheophytes
• Clade: Angiosperms
• Clade: Eudicots
• Clade: Superasterids
• Clade: Asterids
• Clade: Campanulids
• Order: Dipsacales
• Family: Caprifoliaceae
• Subfamily: Dipsacoideae
• Genus: Scabiosa
• Species: Scabiosa atropurpurea

Presence

Present.

Conservation status

• Red List (Metropolitan France): LC Least Concern

Notes

Possible confusion with Knautia spp., which have flat flower heads and small calyx teeth, while S. atropurpurea has flower heads that become ovoid during fructification and long bristle-like calyx teeth.

Sometimes treated as a separate genus Sixalix, but often included in Scabiosa.

The following infraspecific taxa are accepted:

• S. atropurpurea subsp. atropurpurea L., 1753, P;
• S. atropurpurea subsp. grandiflora (Scop.) Soldano & F.Conti, 2005;
• S. atropurpurea subsp. maritima (L.) Arcang., 1882.

Photographs

Sources

• Tison, J.M., & de Foucault, B. (2014). Flora Gallica : Flore de France (p. 621). Biotope.