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

Appearance

''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.

Habitat

''C. filiformis'' is found around seasonally-flooded pools, alongside rutted tracks, and growing on heathlands of

acid grassland Acid grassland is a nutrient-poor habitat characterised by grassy tussocks and bare ground. Habitat The vegetation is dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, growing on soils deficient in lime (calcium). These may be found on acid sedimentary ...

with sandy or

peaty soil Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficient c ...

s. It grows best in areas where there are also free-roming grazing animals and few competitive species. ''C. filiformis'' tends to be found alongside several other species of declining plants including three-lobed water-crowfoot (''

Ranunculus tripartitus ''Ranunculus tripartitus'', three-lobed crowfoot, is a species of flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, which grows in pools and muddy hollows in coastal parts of Europe, North Africa and West Asia. It is rare and endangered throughout its ...

''), chaffweed (''

Anagallis minima ''Lysimachia minima'' (chaffweed) is a 1-4 inch (2–10 cm) perennial herb in the primula family (Primulaceae). A cosmopolitan species, this small plant is native widely across North America and Eurasia. It can be found growing in moi ...

''), allseed (''

Radiola linoides ''Radiola linoides'' is the sole species in the ''Radiola'' genus, a monotypic genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Linaceae. It has the common names of 'allseed' and 'flaxseed'. It has a very short stem which is repeatedly subdivide ...

''), and pillwort (''

Pilularia globulifera ''Pilularia globulifera'', or pillwort, is an unusual species of fern in the family Marsileaceae. It is native to western Europe, where it grows at the edges of lakes, ponds, ditches and marshes, on wet clay or clay-sand soil, sometimes in water ...

'').

Distribution

''C. filiformis'' is most commonly found in Western and Mediterranean Europe. It can also be found in southern parts of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Within the United Kingdom

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 Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The count ...

. 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. 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.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q165035 Gentianaceae Flora of Europe Plants described in 1800