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perennial

Macedonian scabious

Knautia macedonica

Climate-suitable non-native

Growing guidance

Horticultural figures below are practitioner estimates for planning, pending expert review. The botanical record further down is sourced and verifiable.

Current-climate suitability

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Future-climate resilience

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Sun

Full sun

Soil moisture

free-draining, average

Heat tolerance

Up to about 42°C

Cold tolerance

Down to about -25°C

Waterlogging tolerance

1/5

Drought tolerance

4/5

Mature size

0.6–0.9 m tall, 0.5 m spread

Seasonal interest

Summer to autumn · Crimson

Maintenance

low

Wildlife supported

General wildlife value 5/5 (verified species relationships are shown only where structured data exists)

Known risks or warnings

Sprawls unless grown among grasses.

Toxicity: none

Verified botanical record

Accepted scientific name
Knautia macedonica Griseb.
Family
Caprifoliaceae (Dipsacales)
Rank and status
species · accepted
GBIF record
Taxon 4102952

Recorded as introduced in: Belgium, Brussels-Capital Region, Czechia-Slovakia, Flemish Region, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Walloon Region

Ranges are exactly as recorded in the GBIF source checklists and may be incomplete for widely cultivated species.

Knautia macedonica, the Macedonian scabious, is a species of flowering plant in the family Caprifoliaceae. It is native to Southeastern Europe: Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, North Macedonia, southeastern Romania and Kırklareli in Turkey. Growing to 75 cm (30 in), this herbaceous perennial produces rich red "pincushion" flowers, similar to those of its close relative scabious (Scabiosa), on slender upright stems throughout summer. Knautia macedonica is cultivated as an ornamental plant. It is extremely hardy, down to −20 °C (−4 °F) and below, but requires a sunny position in neutral or alkaline soil. Though it may be short-lived, it self-seeds readily.

Description from Wikipedia — Knautia macedonica (CC BY-SA), shortened and unedited in substance.

Native status and geographic context

  • United Kingdom: climate-suitable
  • United States: climate-suitable
  • Australia: climate-suitable

Native status is never inferred from climate similarity. Plants restricted or invasive in a jurisdiction are excluded from recommendations there.

Demonstration data. Climate, plant and retailer records shown here are realistic samples awaiting horticultural validation and live data connections.