Centaurea leonidia
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Centaurea leonidia faces severe population decline due to intensive agricultural expansion and urban development across its limited Mediterranean range. Overgrazing by livestock has degraded the species' preferred grassland habitats, while road construction and infrastructure projects continue to fragment remaining populations. Climate change-induced drought stress further threatens this already vulnerable endemic species.
Habitat
Centaurea leonidia inhabits dry Mediterranean grasslands, rocky slopes, and open scrubland at elevations between 200-800 meters. The species typically grows in calcareous soils within degraded maquis vegetation and along field margins in agricultural landscapes.