''Ramonda nathaliae'' or Natalie's ramonda (; ) is a species of flowering plant in the family

Gesneriaceae Gesneriaceae, the gesneriad family, is a family (biology), family of flowering plants consisting of about 152 genera and ca. 3,540 species in the tropics and subtropics of the Old World (almost all Didymocarpoideae) and the New World (most Ges ...

. It was discovered in 1884 near the city of

Niš Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names of European cities in different languages (M–P)#N, names in other languages), less often spelled in English as Nish, is the list of cities in Serbia, third largest city in Serbia and the administrative cente ...

by botanists Sava Petrović and

Josif Pančić Josif Pančić ( sr-cyr, Јосиф Панчић; April 17, 1814 – February 25, 1888) was a Serbian botanist, a doctor of medicine, a lecturer at the Great School (the future University of Belgrade), and the first president of the Serbian Roya ...

, who named it after Queen Natalie of Serbia (1882–1889). Natalie's ramonda possesses the ability to revive even when fully dehydrated and demonstrates adaptability to harsh environments. The flower is one of the national symbols of Serbia, reflecting the resiliance of the Serbian struggle in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and symbolizing the rebirth and revival of the country.

Description

''Ramonda nathaliae''s natural habitat is Serbia, North Macedonia and Greece (

Kilkis Kilkis () is a city in Central Macedonia, Greece. As of 2021 there were 24,130 people living in the city proper, 27,493 people living in the municipal unit, and 45,308 in the municipality of Kilkis. It is also the capital city of the regional un ...

region). It is small and adaptable to harsh environments. It grows to in height in angles on rocks, and it endures temperatures as low as . It has clusters of flat, lilac-blue flowers in late spring surrounded by evergreen leaves. It is a

poikilohydry Poikilohydry is the lack of ability (structural or functional mechanism) to maintain and/or regulate water content to achieve homeostasis of cells and tissue connected with quick equilibration of cell/tissue water content to that of the environment ...

c plant. It has earned the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. It includes the full range of cultivated p ...

World War I remembrance symbol

The flower is considered a symbol of Serbia's campaign and victory in

. To commemorate Serbian soldiers who died in war, as well as the resurrection of the country, people wear artificial Natalie's ramonda flowers as a symbol of remembrance. This tradition is observed in the week leading up to Armistice Day and is similar to the wearing of the

remembrance poppy A remembrance poppy is an artificial flower worn in some countries to commemorate their military personnel who died in war. Remembrance poppies are produced by veterans' associations, which exchange the poppies for charitable donations used to g ...

amongst the

Commonwealth countries The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an international association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire from which i ...

. The idea originated from

Marko Đurić Marko Đurić ( sr-cyr, Марко Ђурић; born 25 June 1983) is a Serbian politician and diplomat serving as the Ministry of foreign affairs, minister of foreign affairs since 2024. Prior to becoming a government minister, Đurić was the Lis ...

, the then-adviser to

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Tomislav Nikolić, in 2012. The badge worn on Armistice Day combines the ramonda and the green-and-black Albanian Commemorative Medal ribbon. The idea was put into practice in 2013, a year after the Armistice Day became a public holiday in Serbia.

References

External links

Special Nature Reserve "Jelašnička Gorge"
Didymocarpoideae Flora of Europe Flora of Serbia Plants described in 1884 {{Gesneriaceae-stub

Description

World War I remembrance symbol

See also

References

External links