Cicendia filiformis, also called yellow centaury or slender cicendia,[3][4] is a species of flowering planet of the family Gentianaceae.

Cicendia filiformis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Gentianaceae
Genus: Cicendia
Species:
C. filiformis
Binomial name
Cicendia filiformis
(L.) Delabre, 1800[2]

Appearance edit

C. filiformis grows to between 2-12cm in height with linear leaves 2-6mm long. The flowers are yellow (but can be tinged with pink), have four petals and only open in sunlight.[5]

Habitat edit

C. filiformis is found around seasonally-flooded pools, alongside rutted tracks, and growing on heathlands of acid grassland with sandy or peaty soils.[5][6] It grows best in areas where there are also free-roming grazing animals and few competitive species.[6] C. filiformis tends to be found alongside several other species of declining plants including three-lobed water-crowfoot (Ranunculus tripartitus), chaffweed (Anagallis minima), allseed (Radiola linoides), and pillwort (Pilularia globulifera).[5]

Distribution edit

C. filiformis is most commonly found in Western and Mediterranean Europe.[7] It can also be found in southern parts of Australia.[4]

Within the United Kingdom edit

Within the United Kingdom, C. filiformis is generally restricted to heathlands in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, the New Forest, the Sussex Weald and parts of St David's Peninsula in Pembrokeshire. It has become "extremely rare" in Devon and Sussex and "rapidly declining" in Cornwall and Dorset. The last remaining areas where C. filiformis is widespread are the Lizard in Cornwall and the New Forest.[5]

There were major losses in C. filiformis before 1930, most notably in Cornwall, followed by steady decline, thanks to the loss of its key habitat areas.[8]

References edit

  1. ^ T. D. Dines; R. A. Jones; S. J. Leach; D. R. McKean; D. A. Pearman; C. D. Preston; F. J. Rumsey; I. Taylor (2005). Cheffings, C. M.; Farrell, L. (eds.). "Species Status 7" (PDF). The Vascular Plant Red Data List for Great Britain. Peterborough: Joint Nature Conservation Committee: 41. ISSN 1473-0154. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Cicendia filiformis (L.) Delarbre". Catalogue of Life. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  3. ^ "Cicendia filiformis". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Cicendia filiformis (L.) Delarbre Slender Cicendia". FloraBase. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d "Yellow Centaury Cicendia filiformis Species fact sheet" (PDF). Plantlife. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Creating ponds for Yellow Centaury Cicendia filiformis" (PDF). Freshwater Habitats. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  7. ^ "Cicendia filiformis Delarbre". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  8. ^ "Cicendia filiformis". Online Atlas of the British and Irish Flora. Retrieved 11 December 2020.