World Wild Flora - Centaurea - The gift of Chiron.

The ancient legend has it that it was Chiron - the ' wisest and justest of all the centaurs ' that showed this plant to Greeks. Thus Hippocrates uses ' Centaurea ' as its latin name. Commonly known as Knapweed or Cornflower ( Centaurea cyanus ), in local polish language it is Chaber or Chaber Blawatek. It belongs to the family of Asteraceae.

While Centaurea or Knapweed is a genus, Centaurea cyanus or Cornflower is a species. It's most blue-flowered kinds likes to grow in the grainfields, but the specimen presented here is a forest dweller.

It is popular ornamental plant - it's other name is a 'basket flower'. That plant is useful in the garden as it attracts pollinators. It's flowers are edible and can be added to salads. Dried flowers are also ' antifungal, antipruritic, antirheumatic, antitussive, astringent, diuretic, emmenagogue, laxative, ophthalmic, purgative, tonic ' and can be added to tea blends. Cornflower in the past was also used as a blue dye.

Find out more:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centaurea

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centaurea_cyanus

• https://pfaf.org/User/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Centaurea+cyanus

• https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaber (pl)

• https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaber_b%C5%82awatek (pl)

World Wild Flora Contest link:

• https://steemit.com/worlwildflora/@worldwildflora/world-wild-flora-contest-week-no-8-the-winners

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