Perennial Cornflower - Centaurea montana
Description
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.
Identification difficulty

Habitat
Dry open places.
When to see it
June to August.
Life History
Perennial - Possibly casual naturalised from garden origins, the plants photographed were half a mile from the nearest habitation.
UK Status
Only common as a garden plant, it does however turn up around Britain as a casual quite regularly.
VC55 Status
Uncommon in Leicestershire and Rutland as a wild plant and not recorded in the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire.
Leicestershire & Rutland Map
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MAP KEY:
Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2020+ | 2015-2019 | pre-2015