Perennial cornflower or mountain bluet is native to the mountains of southern Europe. However, thanks to its propensity to “escape” from gardens and naturalize, it can now be found as a non-native species throughout much of the rest of Europe and parts of North America. The Colorado State University's Cooperative Extension has a tidy article on Centaurea, including the history behind the name.

Flickr BPotD Group Pool Pic of the Day: a relative of the plant in today's image, Centaurea cyanus from the creative eye of Angel's Lens@Flickr (be sure to check out her other plant images!).

Botany / culture resource link: Botanical and Cultural Images of Eastern Asia, 1907-1927, a newly released virtual exhibit from the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard. Suggested by Dr. Quentin Cronk, director of UBC Garden.