Knautia

There are around 60 species of Knautia. These are herbaceous in character and are widespread from Siberia to the Mediterranean. They are grown for their pretty flowers, held on slender stems. They are like pincushions with packed heads of individual blooms. The flowers are in a good range of shades from white to blue, purple, pink, red to deep red and near black. They are often grown in ornamental borders but may also be part of a wild flower meadow. Foliage is generally in soft shades of green and there is at least one form that has variegated foliage, Knautia macedonica 'Thunder and Lightning'. They are similar in appearance to Scabious of the genus Scabiosa..