Succisa pratensis Moench, syn.: Scabiosa succisa L., Succisa praemorsa Asch.EN: Devil's-bit Scabious, Devil's-bit, DE: Gewhnlicher Teufelsabbiss, Wiesen-Abbisskraut, AbbisskrautSlo.: travnika izjevkaDat.: June 10. 2008Lat.: 45.84361 Long.: 14.26548Code: Bot_270/2008_DSC9145Habitat: Karst field, moist grassland; flat, frequently flooded terrain; open place, full sun, average precipitations 1.600 - 1.800 mm/year, average temperature 8-10 deg C, elevation 445 m (1.450 feet), Dinaric phytogeographical region. Substratum: soil.Place: Planinsko polje (Planina fields) near village Planina, Notranjska, Slovenia EC.Comment: Succisa pratensis is widely distributed but not quite common Euro- West-Asian floral element. It can be found from plains to subalpine elevations and is at home in all European mountains (Ref. 4). It can be found scattered almost in the whole Slovenia.Yet, Succisa pratensis is consciously relatively infrequently encountered. There seem to be two reasons for that. First: it is predominately bound to its preferred habitat - wet grassland, a habitat, which is relatively rare and gradually disappearing. Second: superficially it is quite similar in appearance to several truly widespread and common (and therefore of little interest) grassland plants pertaining to "widow flowers" (genus Knautia) and "scabious" or "pincushion flowers" (genus Scabiosa). Many of them are of similar habit and shape of their inflorescence - heads and color of flowers. Only a closer examination makes distinguishing Succisa pratensis from other similar plants easy. It has only four petals in the individual flowers (four lobed flowers) in contrast to others, which have five petals (five lobed flowers) and its stalk leaves are opposite not alternate. It is interesting that there exist two types of these plants. Some have flowers with stamens and pistils (bisexual flowers), others have only female flowers having pistils only.Ref.:(1) Personal communication Mr. Branko Dolinar,
www.orhideje.si(2) M.A. Fischer, W. Adler, K. Oswald, Exkursionsflora fr sterreich, Liechtenstein und Sdtirol, LO Landesmuseen, Linz, Austria (2005), p xx.(3) A. Martini et all., Mala Flora Slovenije (Flora of Slovenia - Key) (in Slovenian), Tehnina Zaloba Slovenije (2007), p 499. (4) D. Aeschimann, K. Lauber, D.M. Moser, J.P. Theurillat, Flora Alpina, Vol. 2., Haupt (2004), p 406.(5) K. Lauber and G. Wagner, Flora Helvetica, 5. Auflage, Haupt (2012), p 1020.(6) L. Pintar, A. Selikar, Cvetje Slovenske Deele - Florula Slovenica, Zaloba Narava d.o.o. (2015) (in Slovenian), p 79.
