Devil’s-Bit Scabious

The slopes of Fitty Hill are alive with flowers and the glorious lilac of Devil’s-Bit Scabious waves in the light breeze. There are the large male flowers and the smaller female flowers of Succisa pratensis all over the grassy slopes.

Species of scabious were used to treat Scabies and other skin problems including Bubonic Plague sores. The word scabies comes from the Latin word for scratch (scabere) which is still in common use in the word ‘scab’.