Centaurea cyanus

Centaurea cyanus (aciano) — la flor silvestre de azul intenso y puro de los antiguos campos de cereales, rica en néctar, con pétalos comestibles y favorita de las abejas y los ramos cortados. Presente en nuestra gama de flores silvestres.

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Centaurea cyanus — the cornflower

Centaurea cyanus, the cornflower, is a hardy annual famous for its intense, true-blue flowers — one of the most loved of all wildflowers and cottage-garden plants. It is at home among our wildflowers and pollinator flowers within the wider flower seed collection.

History & origin

Native to Europe, the cornflower earned its name as a familiar weed of cornfields, springing up among the wheat and rye. The same farming that gave it its name nearly undid it: modern herbicides made the wild cornflower rare across much of Europe, and it is now a symbol of meadow conservation. It carries deep meaning elsewhere too — the blue bleuet is France's flower of remembrance, and it has long been a national flower of Germany.

Its botanical name blends myth and colour: Centaurea recalls Chiron the centaur, the healer of Greek legend, while cyanus comes from the Greek for deep blue.

Botanical characteristics

An upright annual to around 80 cm, the cornflower bears its frilled, thistle-like flowers most famously in vivid blue, but also in pink, purple, white and near-black. The blooms are rich in nectar and beloved by bees and butterflies, and the petals are edible, pretty scattered over salads. Long-stemmed and long-lasting, cornflowers are excellent in our cut-flower range and a mainstay of any bee-friendly planting.

Growing Centaurea cyanus from seed

Cornflowers are tough and easy. Sow direct where they are to grow, either in autumn for the biggest, earliest plants or in spring, in full sun and ordinary soil. Deadhead or cut regularly to keep the flowers coming, and leave a few to self-seed and return. Our flower growing guide and flower sowing calendar cover the timing.

Ready to grow cornflowers? Browse the varieties or learn the basics first.

Related categories: Wildflowers · Pollinator Flowers · Bee-Friendly Flowers · Cut Flowers · All Flower Seeds

At SeedsChoice, every order ships from Meppel, NL with fast, tracked EU delivery.

Preguntas frecuentes

¿Qué es Centaurea cyanus?
Es el aciano, una wildflower anual resistente de flores azules.

¿De dónde procede el aciano?
De Europa, donde era una mala hierba clásica de los campos de cereal.

¿Qué significa su nombre?
Centaurea evoca a Quirón el centauro, un legendario sanador, y cyanus significa azul intenso.

¿Es el aciano beneficioso para la fauna?
Sí — es muy rico en néctar para abejas y mariposas, y sus pétalos son comestibles.

¿Cómo se cultiva?
Siembra directamente en otoño o primavera, en pleno sol, y deja que algunas plantas se resembren solas.