Centaurea cyanus, commonly known as cornflower or bachelor's button, is an annual flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to Europe. In the past it often grew as a weed in cornfields, hence its name.
Bachelor’s Button grows between 1′ – 3′ feet tall with plants spreading as wide as 1′ to 2′ feet tall. Each plant needs at least 6″-12″ inches of space all around to grow well. Flowers may be white, pink, red, lavender, blue or purple. They bloom from late in the spring and throughout the summer. The slightly fragrant flowers attract butterflies and other pollinators, and the seeds attract birds. It flowers all summer. Centaurea cyanus is now endangered in its native habitat by agricultural intensification, particularly over-use of herbicides, destroying its habitat. It is also, however, through introduction as an ornamental plant in gardens and a seed contaminant in crop seeds, now naturalised in many other parts of the world, including North America and parts of Australia.
