The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Scabious \Sca"bi*ous\, n. [Cf. F. scabieuse. See Scabious, a.]
   (Bot.)
   Any plant of the genus Scabiosa, several of the species of
   which are common in Europe. They resemble the Compositae,
   and have similar heads of flowers, but the anthers are not
   connected.
   [1913 Webster]

   Sweet scabious.
   (a) Mourning bride.
   (b) A daisylike plant (Erigeron annuus) having a stout
       branching stem.
       [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

sweet scabious
    n 1: Old World annual having fragrant purple to deep crimson
         flower heads; naturalized in United States [syn: sweet
         scabious, pincushion flower, mournful widow, Scabiosa
         atropurpurea]