Serratula tinctoria - Saw-wort
Phylum: Magnoliophyta - Class: Equisetopsida - Order: Asterales - Family: Asteraceae
In Britain, Saw-wort is now confined to localised colonies in the south west of England and Wales. It is not found in Ireland.
Saw-worts - there are several species, all very similar - are members of the daisy family. You will find these perennial mid-summer flowers on cliff tops, beside woods and occasionally in woodland glades.
If you walk along the coastal paths of West Wales you will see plenty of saw-wort, generally growing to a height of 20 cm; in sheltered inland areas it grows to twice that height. The flower heads are usually 15 to 25 cm across.
Saw-worts are woody, brittle-stemmed plants, but in other respects very similar to knapweeds. The common name comes from the saw-like serrations on the edges of the leaves
The saw-wort in this picture was found on the Pembrokeshire Coastal path near Ceibwr Bay, just south of the Teifi Estuary in West Wales.
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