Cornflower

Scientific Names

Centaurea cyanus L.
Compositae
Composite family

Common Names

Bachelor’s button
Bluebonnet
Bluebottle
Blue centaury
Cyani
Back to Top

Description of Plant(s) and Culture

Cornflower is an annual herb; the thin, stiff, branched stem grows to a height of 12-24 inches and bears narrow, lanceolate leaves, pinnate and lobed near the base and nearly filiform near the top. The large, blue flowers (white or rose-colored in some varieties) appear from June to August.
Back to Top

Where Found

Native to Europe but cultivated in the United States; found in fields, cornfields, roadsides.
Back to Top

Medicinal Properties

Diuretic, tonic, anti-inflammatory, stimulant
Back to Top

Uses

The cornflower is used for dyspepsia and cosmetic purposes. Flowers are made into an eyewash or eyedrops and made into compresses to use on the eyes. Used for nervous conditions, both calming and curative.
Back to Top

Formulas or Dosages

Used in bath and cosmetic preparations
Back to Top

Bibliography

Herbal Gardening, compiled by The Robison York State Herb Garden, Cornell Plantations, Matthaei Botanical Gardens of the University of Michigan, University of California Botanical Garden, Berkeley., Pantheon Books, Knopf Publishing Group, New York, 1994, first edition

The Magic of Herbs, by David Conway, published by Jonathan Cape, Thirty Bedford Square, London, England. (Out of print)

How Indians Use Wild Plants for Food, Medicine & Crafts, by Frances Densmore, Dover Publications, Inc., 180 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014, first printed by the United States Government Printing Office, Washington, in 1928, this Dover edition 1974

Webster's New World Dictionary, Third College Edition, Victoria Neufeldt, Editor in Chief, New World Dictionaries: A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023, 1984