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5 plants worth knowing

Kosovo

Kosovo is a landlocked country made up of two broad basins – Kosovo Field and Metohija – surrounded by mountains: the Accursed Mountains (Prokletije) to the west, the Šar Mountains to the south and Kopaonik to the north. The climate is continental, softened from the south-west by Mediterranean influences that reach it along the valley of the White Drin. Oak and beech forests cover about 40% of the land, and high in the mountains grow endemic Balkan pines and herb-rich mountain pastures.

Hover over a plant to see on the map where it grows.

where it grows

  1. Balkan peony 1

    flower · The Kosovo peony – symbol of the Battle of Kosovo

    Balkan peony

    Paeonia peregrina

    Legend has it that red peonies sprang from the blood of the knights who fell at the Battle of Kosovo in 1389.
  2. Macedonian pine 2

    tree

    Macedonian pine

    Pinus peuce

    The Balkan “molika” is a relic from before the Ice Age – in Kosovo it forms the upper forest zone in the Šar and Accursed Mountains.
  3. Greek mountain tea 3

    perennial

    Greek mountain tea

    Sideritis scardica

    Mountain tea from the Šar Mountains, which gave the species its name, is Kosovo’s most popular herbal infusion.
  4. Bilberry 4

    dwarf shrub

    Bilberry

    Vaccinium myrtillus

    Wild bilberries from Kosovo’s mountains reach markets all over Europe – in summer picking them is a vital source of income for mountain villages.
  5. Bosnian pine 5

    tree

    Bosnian pine

    Pinus heldreichii

    The Bosnian pine climbs the limestone crags of the Accursed Mountains where no other tree can cope – its trunk is clad in bark like snakeskin.