The attractive honeywort adds interest on the pigmentation border in the Systematic Beds.
A popular annual species amongst gardeners, Cerinthe major ssp. purpurascens is highly regarded for it’s erect habit and alternate, fleshy, blue-green foliage. These contrast well with the purple, tubular flowers, which are produced in cymes, and which are full of nectar and highly attractive to bees. It was once believed that bees obtained wax from the flowers, hence the common name honeywort. The laternative common name wax plant refers to the waxy texture of the foliage, and the generic name Cerinthe comes from the Greek kerinos (waxen). A member of the borage family (Boraginaceae), this species is a native of southern Europe, where it grows on grassland and rocky sites. A hardy annual, C. major ssp. purpurascens is drought tolerant, and in a warm, sunny site it will self-sow to ensure an annual display.