The ramonda flower

When Serbian singer Teodora Pavlovska (stage name Teya Dora) entered the Eurovision Song Contest in 2024 with her song 'Ramonda', no one could have imagined that this flower would come into the spotlight.

When she won 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?

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 depict the ramonda, which holds great importance in Serbian history.

But what story actually lies behind this mysterious plant? To understand the significance of this flower, one must delve a little into history.

What is the story of the Ramonda flower?

The Serbian ramonda (Ramonda serbica) is one of the world's rarest flowers. 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 World War I, 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

Josif Pančić (April 17, 1814 – February 25, 1888), an Austrian-born Serbian physician, botanist, university professor and academician, first discovered the Serbian ramonda. Pančić found the plant in 1874 on the slopes of the Rtanj mountain, near the town of Sokobanja.

The Serbian ramonda (Ramonda serbica), also known as the phoenix flower or 'collar cookie' is an extraordinary endemic plant found in the central Balkans.

It is a relic of the sub-tropical flora of Europe and the Mediterranean, possibly originating from Africa. It is a plant characterised by its unique ability to survive extreme dryness. 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.

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 metres. More commonly, it is found at altitudes between 300 and 1000 metres, exclusively on north-facing slopes.

This unique plant is endemic to the central Balkans, 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 Natalie's ramonda

A court doctor named Dr. Sava Petrovic found another plant on the Serbian mountain Suva Planina. He thought it was a Ramonda serbica and showed it to Josif Pančić.

The plant that Dr. Petrovic found was a completely new species and was named Ramonda nathaliae after the Serbian Queen Natalija Obrevonic. He believed that Ramonda serbica diverged from Ramonda nathaliae into a distinct species during the Tertiary period 66 million years ago.

Both have very beautiful flowers. Typically, Ramonda nathaliae has dark purple flowers, while the Serbian ramonda has light purple flowers, although the colour 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 is near Niš in the southern part of Serbia.

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 Natalie'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 11 November, and on the holiday itself in Serbia.

Ramonda serbica: endangered botanical and cultural treasure

The Serbian Ramonda's mostly inaccessible habitat has helped preserve its population. Despite this, the Serbian ramonda faces threats from habitat destruction particularly in more accessible areas such as roadside rocks and small local populations.

The process of collecting these plants for herbarium collections and botanical gardens are a significant threat to their numbers in nature, along with the destruction of natural forest vegetation.

In Serbia, the Serbian ramonda is protected as a natural rarity, recognising its ecological importance and historical significance. Its ability to survive and revive under extreme conditions symbolises resilience and rebirth, making it a botanical treasure and a cultural icon and symbol of national pride.

It 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.

The creation 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.