View source for Nigella damascena

{{SPlantbox
|familia=Ranunculaceae
|genus=Nigella
|species=damascena
|taxo_author=L.
|common_name=Love-in-a-mist
|habit=herbaceous
|Min ht box=20
|Min ht metric=cm
|Max ht box=50
|Max ht metric=cm
|lifespan=annual
|features=flowers
|flowers=blue, purple, pink, white
|Temp Metric=°F
|jumpin=If this plant info box on watering; zones; height; etc. is mostly empty you can click on the edit tab and fill in the blanks!
|image=Nigella damascena Kaldari 01.jpg
|image_width=180
|image_caption=A pale blue ''Nigella damascena''
}}

[[Image:Nigella arvensis fruit.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Seed capsule]]
'''''Nigella damascena''''' ('''Love-in-a-mist''') is an [[Annual plant|annual]] garden [[flowering plant]], belonging to the buttercup family ([[Ranunculaceae]]).

It is native to southern [[Europe]] (but adventive in more northern countries of Europe), north [[Africa]] and southwest [[Asia]]. It is also commonly grown in gardens in North America. It is found on neglected, damp patches of land.

The plant's common name comes from the flower being nestled in a ring of multifid, lacy [[bract]]s. It's also sometimes called Devil-in-the-Bush.

It grows to 20-50&nbsp;cm tall, with pinnately divided, thread-like,  alternate [[leaf|leaves]]. 

The [[flower]]s are most commonly different shades of blue, but can be white, pink, or pale purple; with 5-25 [[sepal]]s. The actual [[petal]]s are located at the base of the stamens and are minute and clawed. The sepals are the only colored part of the [[perianth]]. The 4-5 [[carpel]]s of the compound [[pistil]] have each an erect [[carpel|style]]. The flowers blossom in May and June.

The [[fruit]] is a large and inflated [[Capsule (fruit)|capsule]], growing from a compound [[ovary (plants)|ovary]], and is  composed of several united follicles, each containing numerous [[seed]]s. This is rather exceptional for a member of the buttercup family. The capsule becomes brown in late summer. The plant self-seeds, growing on the same spot year after year. 

The flower has been grown in english [[cottage garden]]s since [[Elizabethan]] times. They are much used in dried flower bouquets.

The related ''[[Nigella sativa]]'' (and not ''N. damascena'') is the source of the spice variously known as Nigella, Kalonji or Black Cumin.  

{{Inc|
Nigella damascena, Linn. Height 1-2 ft.: Lvs. bright green, very finely cut: fls. white or blue, large; involucre very dense and fine; styles erect in the fr., nearly as long as the caps.: fr. not divergent at top. Summer. S. Eu. Var. nana, Hort. A dwarf form with very large fls.
}}

==Cultivation==


===Propagation===


===Pests and diseases===


==Varieties==
The most common variety is 'Miss Jekyll' which has blue flowers, but the more recent 'Persian Jewels' is a mixture of white, pink, lavender and blue flowers. 'Persian Rose' is pale pink. Other [[cultivar]]s are 'Albion', 'Blue Midget', 'Cambridge Blue', 'Mulberry Rose', and 'Oxford Blue'. The 'Dwarf Moody Blue' is around six inches high. 

==Gallery==

<gallery perrow=5>
Image:Upload.png| photo 1
Image:Upload.png| photo 2
Image:Upload.png| photo 3
</gallery>

==References==
<references/>
*[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
<!--- xxxxx  *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381  -->
<!--- xxxxx  *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432  -->
<!--- xxxxx  *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608  -->

==External links==
*{{wplink}}

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