This year marks the 150th anniversary since Ramonda Flower has been first discovered.
Photo: Ramonda serbica, Wikipedia
When Teodora Pavlovska (stage name Teya Dora) entered the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 (PZE 2024) with her song “Ramonda” no one could have imagined that this flower would come into the spotlight. However, when she won with that song and became Serbia's official representative at Eurovision, the Ramonda flower captivated Europe. Everyone wondered what kind of flower Teya Dora was singing about and why this talented singer-songwriter chose the Ramonda as the thematic cornerstone of her composition.
Video: YouTube/ESC
Social media exploded. TikTok was flooded with clips explaining what the Ramonda flower represents, where it grows, and its significance. Digital artists raced to creatively and inventively depict the Ramonda, which holds great importance in Serbian history.
But what story actually lies behind this mysterious plant? To present this flower, one must delve a little into history.
Ramonda - One of the world's rarest flowers
The Serbian Ramonda (Ramonda serbica) is one of the world's rarest flowers, first scientifically described by Јosif Pančić. This remarkable plant can withstand extremely harsh conditions, even surviving in a completely dried state for several years. Remarkably, it can be revived with just a few drops of water. Known as the “phoenix flower,” Ramonda became a symbol of Serbian resilience during the Great Retreat of the First World War, representing Serbia's ability to rise again after enduring immense hardship. This year marks the 150th anniversary since this flower has been first discovered.
Botanical Legacy
The Serbian Ramonda (Ramonda serbica), also known as the phoenix flower or “collar cookie,” is an extraordinary endemic plant found in the central Balkans, belonging to the Gesneriaceae family. It was first discovered by the renowned botanist Josif Pančić in 1874 on the slopes of Rtanj Mountain, near Sokobanja.
Photo: Serbian botanist Josif Pančić, Europeana / University of Vienna
Josif Pančić (Ugrini near Bribir, April 17, 1814 – Belgrade, February 25, 1888) was a Serbian physician, botanist, university professor, and academician. Pančić was the first president of the Serbian Royal Academy.
He discovered a new species of conifer named after him, Pančić's spruce (Picea omorika), and the highest peak of Kopaonik (Pančić's Peak), where a mausoleum containing his remains is located, is also named after him. He dedicated his rich herbarium, which he enriched throughout his life, to Serbia from its inception, according to his own words.
Photo: Picea omorika, Europeana /
Meise Botanical Garden
The Serbian Ramonda is a relic of the subtropical flora of Europe and the Mediterranean, possibly originating from Africa. It is a perennial, evergreen herbaceous plant characterized by its unique ability to survive extreme desiccation. Even when completely dried out, it can be revived with just a few drops of water, a rare trait shared by only a few flowering plants in Europe, such as Haberlea rhodopensis and Jankaea heldreichii.
The plant's leaves are arranged in a basal rosette, with rhombic to elliptically rhombic shapes, and are irregularly and coarsely toothed along the edges. The flower stalks, which can reach up to 15 cm in height, bear 1 to 3 flowers, and older specimens can have up to 6 flowers. The pale purple petals with a yellow base usually number 4-5 per flower, though sometimes there are as few as 3 or as many as 6. The fruit of the Serbian Ramonda is a capsule filled with numerous brown seeds. This plant has a chromosome number of 2n = 144.
Serbian Ramonda typically inhabits the crevices of limestone rocks, often in the protection of forest vegetation, thriving in gorges and lower mountain ridges at altitudes ranging from 150 to 1800 meters. More commonly, it is found at altitudes between 300 and 1000 meters, exclusively on north-facing slopes. It forms relict chasmophytic communities with other plants, notably the Ceterachi-Ramondaetum serbicae and various Musco-Ramondetum serbicae communities. In areas where its habitat overlaps with that of Ramonda nathaliae, it forms the subassociation Ceterachi-Ramondetum serbicae ramondetosum nathaliae.
Photo: Ramonda serbica — an illustration published in 1918 in the English botanical journal “Curtis's Botanical Magazine”
This unique plant is endemic to the central Balkans, with its distribution covering Albania, Bulgaria, Greece (Epirus), North Macedonia, Serbia, and Montenegro. Its range features numerous disjunctions, with significant populations in eastern Serbia and northwestern Bulgaria, and a larger distribution from Montenegro through southern Serbia (including Kosovo and Metohija), North Macedonia, Albania, and into Greece.
Ramonda serbica and Nathalie’s Ramonda
Serbian Ramonda shouldn’t be confused with Natalie’s Ramonda despite belonging to the same family and having similar features. Natalie's Ramonda (Ramonda nathaliae), also known as the phoenix flower, is an endemic plant of the central Balkans from the Gesneriaceae family. It is a relic of the subtropical flora of Europe and the Mediterranean, likely of African origin. Closely related to Ramonda serbica, it is believed that Ramonda serbica diverged from Ramonda nathaliae into a distinct species through polyploidy during the Tertiary period. Discovered in 1884 near Niš by Dr. Sava Petrović, the royal physician to King Milan Obrenović, this perennial, evergreen herbaceous plant was named in honor of Queen Natalie.
Photo: Dr. Sava Petrović, Wikipedia
Serbian and Natalia's Ramondas are easiest to distinguish by the shape of their leaves and flowers: the former typically has a rhombic, occasionally oval leaf with coarsely serrated edges, while the latter has more rounded leaves with regular and small teeth. Additionally, Serbian Ramonda has a flatter, rounded flower, whereas Natalia's Ramonda has straight petals. Furthermore, they differ in that the petals of Natalia's Ramonda overlap, while those of the Serbian Ramonda are separate. Both have very beautiful flowers. Typically, Ramonda nathalie has dark purple flowers, and the Serbian Ramonda has light purple flowers, although the color can vary to white. Both species are rare and withstand cold weather well. The only two places in the world where these two species grow side by side in a so-called sympatry are located near Niš.
Balkan Ramondas, also known as phoenix plants or cookies, as they are affectionately called by the people for their charm, bloom from the second half of April to the first half of May. During droughts, they enter a state of dormancy, curling their leaves into tight clusters that become so dry they crumble at the touch. However, after rainfall, all their physiological functions return within 12 hours, and they soon fully open up again. Therefore, both Ramondas have remarkable ability to enter a state of anabiosis during droughts.
There is no data to suggest that Pančić knew that Balkan Ramondas had the power of anabiosis, but it is believed that one of the most striking confirmations of their resurrective abilities was provided in 1928 by the Russian botanist Pavel Chernyavsky. The story goes that one day he accidentally knocked over a glass of water, moistening the herbarium, which contained Natalia's Ramonda. When he opened it the next day, he was astonished because the previously completely dry plant, preserved in the herbarium for a year and a half, had come back to life. Natalie's Ramonda is used as a design element for the emblem worn during the week leading up to Armistice Day on November 11th, and on the holiday itself in Serbia.
Photo: Portrait of Queen Natalija Obrenovic
Museum of Applied Art Belgrade
Photo: Badge of Natalie’s flower,
the Serbian ‘poppy’,
Museum of Applied Art Belgrade
Ramonda serbica: Endangered Botanical and Cultural Treasure
Despite the inaccessibility of most of its habitats, which has helped preserve its populations, the Serbian Ramonda faces threats from habitat destruction, particularly in more accessible areas such as roadside rocks and small local populations. Collecting for herbarium collections and botanical gardens is a significant threat, along with the destruction of natural forest vegetation, which alters microclimatic conditions, and the construction of hydroaccumulation reservoirs in canyons. Population surveys in eastern Serbia (Sićevo Gorge, Jelašnica Gorge, and the northern slopes of the Šar Mountains) show a variable density of 10-350 individuals per 5 square meters, with reproductive adults predominantly found. Younger plants are frequently found in moss communities.
In Serbia, the Serbian ramonda is protected as a natural rarity, recognizing its ecological importance and historical significance. Its ability to survive and revive under extreme conditions symbolizes resilience and rebirth, making it a botanical treasure and a cultural icon. Its rebirth mirrors Serbia's ability to rise again, embodying the nation's resilience and strength in the face of adversity. As a symbol deeply ingrained in Serbian culture, the Ramonda flower serves as a poignant reminder of the nation's enduring spirit. Therefore, the Ramonda flower stands as both a botanical and cultural treasure, revered for its remarkable resilience and symbolic significance in Serbian heritage. Its ability to revive against all odds reflects the enduring spirit of the Serbian people, making it not only a cherished botanical marvel but also an emblem of national resilience and pride.
The production of this story was supported by the Thomson Foundation as part of the Culture and Creativity for the Western Balkans project (CC4WBs). This story was created and maintained with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
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