Nigella damascena — devil-in-the-bush
![Stems: Nigella damascena. ~ By Jill Weber. ~ Copyright © 2024 Jill Weber. ~ jillweber03[at]gmail.com](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Ranunculaceae/nigella-damascena-st-jweber.jpg)
![Leaves: Nigella damascena. ~ By Jill Weber. ~ Copyright © 2024 Jill Weber. ~ jillweber03[at]gmail.com](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Ranunculaceae/nigella-damascena-le-jweber.jpg)
![Flowers: Nigella damascena. ~ By George Linney. ~ Copyright © 2024 G.D. Carr. ~ gdcarr[at]comcast.net ~ Oregon Flora Image Project - www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/carr/ofp/ofp_index.htm](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Ranunculaceae/nigella-damascena-fl-glinney.jpg)
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Facts
Devil-in-the-bush is native to Eurasia and introduced in North America due to its popularity as a garden flower. This highly unusual member of the buttercup family produces showy, purple flowers enmeshed in needle-lobed bracts. The inflated capsules are often used in dried flower arrangements. In New England, it is found in disturbed areas, gardens and around houses. Escaped plants are often double-flowered.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats)
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.
enlargeCharacteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Vermont
- Flower petal color
- NA
- Leaf type
- the leaves are compound (made up of two or more discrete leaflets
- Leaf arrangement
- alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem
- Leaf blade edges
- the edge of the leaf blade is entire (has no teeth or lobes)
- Flower symmetry
- there are two or more ways to evenly divide the flower (the flower is radially symmetrical)
- Number of sepals, petals or tepals
- there are five petals, sepals, or tepals in the flower
- Fusion of sepals and petals
- both the petals and sepals are separate and not fused
- Stamen number
- 13 or more
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is dry and splits open when ripe
- Fruit length
- 1.3–2 mm
-
Clonal plantlets
- Bulbils
- the plant does not appear to have bulbils
- Bulblets replace flowers
- there are no bulblets where the flowers are located
-
Flowers
- Anther opening
- the anthers have narrow slits or furrows that run lengthwise along the anthers
- Anther spurs
- the anthers do not have spurs on them
- Calyx symmetry
- there are two or more ways to evenly divide the calyx (the calyx is radially symmetrical)
- Carpels fused
- the carpels are fused to one another
- Cleistogamous flowers
- there are no cleistogamous flowers on the plan
- Corolla morphology
- NA
- Corolla palate
- NA
- Corona lobe length
- 0 mm
- Epicalyx
- the flower does not have an epicalyx
- Epicalyx number of parts
- 0
- Flower description
- the flower has a superior ovary, and lacks a hypanthium
- Flower petal color
- NA
- Flower symmetry
- there are two or more ways to evenly divide the flower (the flower is radially symmetrical)
- Flowers sunken into stem
- no
- Form of style
- the style is lobed at the tip, and unbranched
- Fused stamen clusters
- NA
- Fusion of sepals and petals
- both the petals and sepals are separate and not fused
- Horns in hoods (Asclepias)
- NA
- Hypanthium
- the flower does not have a hypanthium
- Inflorescence one-sided
- the flowers are arrayed in a spiral around the inflorescence axis or branches, or occur singly, or in several ranks
- Inner tepals (Rumex)
- NA
- Nectar spur
- the flower has no nectar spurs
- Number of pistils
-
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6 or more
- Number of sepals, petals or tepals
- there are five petals, sepals, or tepals in the flower
- Number of styles
- 1
- Ovary position
- the ovary is above the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
- Petal and sepal arrangement
- the flower includes only one cycle of petals or sepals
- Petal and sepal colors
-
- blue to purple
- pink to red
- white
- Petal appearance
- NA
- Petal hairs (Viola)
- NA
- Petal number
- 0–10
- Petal tips (Cuscuta)
- NA
- Sepal and petal color
- NA
- Sepal appendages
- the sepals do not have appendages on them
- Sepal appendages (Oenothera)
- NA
- Stamen attachment
- the stamens are not attached to the petals or tepals
- Stamen number
- 13 or more
- Stamen position relative to petals
- NA
- Umbel flower reproductive parts
- NA
- Upper lip of bilabiate corolla
- NA
-
Fruits or seeds
- Achene relative orientation
- NA
- Achene shape
- NA
- Achene surface (Polygonum)
- NA
- Achene type
- NA
- Berry color
- NA
- Capsule color (Viola)
- NA
- Capsule ribs
- NA
- Fruit (pyxis) dehiscence
- NA
- Fruit features (Brassicaceae)
- NA
- Fruit length
- 1.3–2 mm
- Fruit locules
- one
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is dry and splits open when ripe
- Fruit type (specific)
-
- the fruit is a capsule (splits along two or more seams, apical teeth or pores when dry, to release two or more seeds)
- the fruit is a follicle (has one ovary that splits along one side to release the seeds)
- Legumes (Fabaceae)
- NA
- Mericarp length
- 0 mm
- Mericarp segment shape (Desmodium)
- NA
- Other markings on berry
- NA
- Rows of seeds in fruit (Brassicaceae)
- NA
- Schizocarpic fruit compression
- NA
- Schizocarpic fruit segments
- 0
- Septum in fruit (Brassicaceae)
- NA
-
Glands or sap
- Glands on leaf blade
- the leaf blades do not have glandular dots or scales
- Sap
- the sap is clear and watery
- Sap color
- the sap is clear
-
Growth form
- Lifespan
- the plant lives only a single year or less
- Parasitism
- the plant is not parasitic
- Plant color
- the leaves or young stems of the plant are green
- Spines on plant
- the plant has no spines
-
Leaves
- Bracteole number (Apiaceae)
- 0
- Bracts in plantain (Plantago)
- NA
- Hairs on underside of leaf
- the underside of the leaf is not hairy, or it has very few hairs
- Leaf arrangement
- alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem
- Leaf blade base
-
- the leaf has a distinct leaf stalk (petiole)
- the leaf has no stalk
- Leaf blade base shape
- the base of the leaf blade is cuneate (wedge-shaped, tapers to the base with relatively straight, converging edges), or narrow
- Leaf blade edges
- the edge of the leaf blade is entire (has no teeth or lobes)
- Leaf blade length
- 20–160 mm
- Leaf blade shape
- the leaf blade is obovate (egg-shaped, but with the widest point above the middle of the leaf blade)
- Leaf blade surface colors
- the upper side of the leaf blade is relatively uniform in color
- Leaf duration
- the leaves drop off in winter (or they whither but persist on the plant)
- Leaf form
- the leaves are green, with an expanded blade and a leaf-like texture
- Leaf spines
- there are no spines on the leaf edges
- Leaf teeth and lobes
- the edge of the leaf blade is entire (has no teeth or lobes)
- Leaf type
- the leaves are compound (made up of two or more discrete leaflets
- Leaves per node
- there is one leaf per node along the stem
- Specific leaf type
-
- the leaf has a row of two or more lobes on each side of the central axis, and each lobe itself has rows of lobes on each side of the lobe's central axis
- the leaf has lobes that themselves have lobes, and these secondary lobes also have lobes; there may be more than three levels of lobes
- Stipule features
- NA
- Stipules
- there are no stipules on the plant
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
- man-made or disturbed habitats
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Branched tendrils
- NA
- Hair between stem nodes
- the stem has no hairs between the nodes
- Leaves on stem
- there is at least one full leaf above the base of the flowering stem
- Plant height
- 10–75 cm
- Tendril origin
- NA
- Tendrils
- the plant does not have tendrils
Wetland status
Not classified
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- absent
- Rhode Island
- absent
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- not applicable (S-rank: SNA)
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
1. Nigella damascena L. E
devil-in-the-bush. CT, MA, VT; also reported from ME by Knowlton et al. (1918), but specimens are unknown. Waste areas, gardens, near dwellings. Nigella damascena is often cultivated for its attractive flowers. Escaped forms sometimes have supernumerary flower parts (i.e., they are double-flowered). While single-flowered plants usually possess both sepals and petals, double-flowered plants usually possess only the petaloid sepals.
Native to North America?
No
Sometimes confused with
- Nigella sativa:
- inflorescence not subtended by an involucre and ultimate segments of upper leaves broad-linear to narrow-lanceolate (vs. N. damascene, with the inflorescence subtended by an involucre composed of a whorl of bracts that are pinnately dissected into filiform segments and ultimate segments of upper leaves linear).