Centaurea cyanus, also known as Cyanus segetum, 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.
With their near true blue color and profuse bloom, cornflowers (Centaurea cyanus), also known as Bachelor's Buttons or Bluebottles, are popular garden flowers. Although cornflowers are native to Europe, where they got their common name because they often grew in cornfields, they have made themselves at home in North American and can be found naturalizing throughout most of the continent. The edible flower of the cornflower can be used for culinary decoration, for example to add colour to salads. Cornflowers have been used historically for their blue pigment. Cornflowers are often used as an ingredient in some tea blends and herbal teas.
