28 June: Cornflowers

According to ancient almanacs, today's plant of the day is the blue cornflower. Here are 10 things you might not know about this plant.

1. Its scientific name is Centaurea cyanus. It is called a cornflower because it once grew as a weed in cornfields. Bachelor's button, bluebottle, boutonniere flower, hurtsickle or cyani flower are other common names by which the plant is known.
2. The Blue of the flowers is caused by the pigment protocyanin, which is, strangely enough, the same pigment that makes Roses Red.
3. It has been growing in Britain since the Iron Age. However, in recent years it has been declining. 50 years ago there were 264 places where cornflowers could be found growing in the wild. Today there are only three. Conservation charity Plantlife has named it as one of 101 species it is actively working to save.
4. The flowers are edible and are sometimes added to salads for extra colour.
5. Medicinal uses include making eyewashes to treat conjunctivitis and tired eyes. They are also used in some herbal teas, most notably the Lady Grey blend of Twinings.
6. Cornflowers were traditionally worn by young men in love. If the flower faded quickly, it meant the object of his affections wasn't interested.
7. The flower is one of the national symbols of Germany. It's said that Queen Louise of Prussia and her children were hiding from Napoleon, she made wreaths of the flowers to keep the children quiet. The Prussian military uniform was the same blue colour. When Prussia and Germany united, the cornflower was adopted as a symbol for the whole country.
8. It is also the national flower of Estonia and is a symbol of liberalist politics in parts of Scandinavia. In France, veterans wear cornflowers on Armistice Day, similar to the poppies worn in the United Kingdom and Canada.
9. Cornflower is one of the favourite foods of the European goldfinch, an attractive garden bird.
10. A number of prestigious schools have adopted the cornflower as a symbol. Former pupils of Harrow School wear them. It's also the school flower of Winchester College and Dulwich College. It is said to have been the favourite flower of the latter's founder, Edward Alleyn.