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Cornflower is a member of daisy family renowned for its vibrant blue flowers. Cornflower is also called Bachelors Button, Blue Cap, Blue Bottle, Blue poppy, Blueblow, Bluebonnets, Boutonniere Flower, Bluebottle, Cornflower, Cyani Flower, Hurtsickle, Garden Cornflower, Bachelor’s Button Knapweed and Garden knapweed. Scientifically known as Centaurea cyanus, is a robust and herbaceous annual plant growing to the height of 20 to 85 cm with greygreen, slender and distally branched stem. Leaves are alternate, gray-tomentose measuring 3 to 10 cm. Flower heads are rounded or flat topped cymbiform arrays and about 2.5 to 3.5 cm diameter borne on long peduncles surrounded by campanulate involucral bracts. Phyllaries are ovate to oblong, green and tomentose to subglabrous. Margins and erect appendages are white to dark brown or black fringed with slender teeth. Ray florets are violet blue to blue, 25 to 35, obliquely funnel shaped with tip lobed. Disc florets are tubular, violet blue in the center of capitula. It bears an elliptic and flattish fruit which is yellowish and fine haired about 3.5 to 4 mm long having short tip and stiff unequal bristles. Cornflower plant thrives well in common garden soil but prefers well drained rich soil and sunny locations. It is able to withstand arid and low fertility, alkaline soils. When the plants are well established, it could tolerate drought. Being an ornamental plant, it consists of several named varieties. Cornflower is able to hold the color even when dried.
Leaves
Lower leaves have a curved lobe but the most of the leaves are narrow lanceolate which grows in whorls around long stems.
Flowers
The center flowers are darker and are surrounded by overlapping bracts about 1.5 inches across. Mostly Cornflowers are true blue but could be found in the shades of white, lavender, pink, maroon and two-tones.
