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Caryophyllaceae
Ragged Robin
Lychnis flos-cuculi
Wit, whimsy, fairy magic.
- Family
- Caryophyllaceae
- Genus
- Lychnis
- Native to
- Europe, Western Asia
- Bloom season
- Spring, Summer
- Type
- Perennial
- Height
- 30–75 cm (12–30 in)
- Sunlight
- Full sun to part shade
- Soil
- Moist, rich
- Water
- Moderate to high
- Hardiness
- 4–8
- Lifespan
- Short-lived perennial
Did you know
- The deeply fringed petals look as if a fairy has cut them with pinking shears—each of the five petals splits into four narrow ribbons, giving the bloom its 'ragged' look.
- Its species name 'flos-cuculi' means 'cuckoo flower' in Latin, because it blooms exactly when the European cuckoo returns and starts calling in May.
- Once abundant in British wet meadows, ragged robin is now a conservation indicator—its decline tracks the disappearance of unimproved hay meadows since the 1940s.
- In Sussex folklore, picking ragged robin meant a thunderstorm would follow, earning it the local name 'thunder flower.'
- The plant was voted the County Flower of Greater Manchester in 2002—a quietly subversive choice for an industrial city now reclaiming its wetlands.
Color meanings
0
wit
1
playfulness
2
fairy enchantment