Succisa is a small genus of perennial herbaceous flowering plants in the family Caprifoliaceae (honeysuckle family), formerly placed in the teasel family Dipsacaceae. The genus contains just three accepted species, of which Succisa pratensis — known as devil's-bit scabious — is by far the best known and most widespread.
Plants in this genus are erect to ascending, roughly hairy herbs, sometimes reaching 1 m in height though often much smaller in montane or machair habitats. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs, with ovate to lanceolate blades; basal leaves may reach 15 cm in length. A defining feature of the genus is the taproot, which grows to about 5 mm thickness before the tip dies away, leaving a distinctive premorse (abruptly truncated) stump from which lateral roots grow — the morphological trait that gives the type species both its Latin name and its English folk name.
Flowers are borne in compact, almost hemispherical capitula 15–25 mm across, each containing 30–50 bisexual, protandrous florets with four corolla lobes; colour is typically bluish-violet, occasionally pink or white. The fruit is a small achene.
Succisa pratensis is native across the British Isles, western and central Europe, and extends east into central Asia. It is characteristic of nutrient-poor, damp, open habitats — unimproved grassland, heathland, fens, and chalk or limestone grassland — and is an important nectar source for pollinators, serving as the sole larval food plant of the endangered marsh fritillary butterfly (Euphydryas aurinia) and the narrow-bordered bee hawk-moth (Hemaris tityus).
The genus was established by Conrad Moench in 1794 when he transferred Linnaeus's Scabiosa succisa into its own genus and renamed the species pratensis. The name Succisa is from the Latin succisus, meaning "cut down" or "truncated," a reference to the characteristic root morphology.
Etymology
The genus name Succisa is derived from the Latin succisus, meaning "cut down" or "truncated," referring to the peculiarly abrupt, premorse taproot that characterises its species. The most familiar species, Succisa pratensis, bears the epithet pratensis from the Latin for "of the meadow." Its English name "devil's-bit scabious" reflects a longstanding folk belief that the devil bit off the root in spite of the plant's healing powers.
Distribution
Succisa pratensis, the principal species, is common throughout the British Isles and most of western and central Europe, extending eastward into central Asia, and has been introduced to eastern North America. It grows from sea level to approximately 2,400 m altitude. The remaining two species — Succisa pinnatifida and Succisa trichotocephala — have more restricted ranges within Europe.
Ecology
Succisa species grow in nutrient-poor, damp, open habitats: heathland, unimproved damp grassland, chalk or limestone grassland, fens, bogs, and woodland rides. Succisa pratensis has Ellenberg indicator values of L=7, F=7, R=5, N=2, S=0, reflecting a preference for moderately light, moist, neutral, infertile soils with no salt tolerance. The flowers are rich in nectar and attract many insects, particularly hoverflies of the genus Eristalis. Succisa pratensis is the exclusive larval food plant of the marsh fritillary butterfly (Euphydryas aurinia) and the narrow-bordered bee hawk-moth (Hemaris tityus), making its conservation closely tied to that of these declining invertebrates.
Cultural Uses
The truncated root of Succisa pratensis inspired widespread folkloric belief in its magical and medicinal properties. In British and Manx tradition it was used as a treatment for "devil's bites" (scabies) and was reputed to have antiseptic properties. The 17th-century herbalist Nicholas Culpeper referred to it as Morsus Diaboli (the devil's bite) and recommended it for swellings of the mouth and tonsils. The earliest known literary mention of the plant dates to Camerer's 1586 edition of Mattioli's herbal De Plantis Epitome Utilissima.
Taxonomy Notes
Succisa was originally described by Linnaeus as Scabiosa succisa in Species Plantarum (1753). Conrad Moench transferred it to its own genus and renamed the type species pratensis in 1794. The genus was traditionally placed in Dipsacaceae (the teasel family), but under the APG IV classification system it is now included in the expanded family Caprifoliaceae. Three species are currently accepted: Succisa pratensis, Succisa pinnatifida, and Succisa trichotocephala. The chromosome number of S. pratensis is 2n = 20; no interspecific hybrids are recorded, and several described subspecies are now regarded as ecotypes.
