Gentiana verna

Gentiana verna L. - Spring gentian
Family: Gentianaceae

This species is among the best-known plants of the Alpine grassland, appreciated even by common people for the changing beauty of the flower colour, which is so difficult to capture in a photo. It is one of the floral treasures of the Friuli Resurgence area. Unlike the other ice age relicts of the area (Primula farinosa, Parnassia palustris, Eriophorum latifolium, etc.), which are closely related to more or less hygrophilous habitats, even in the Alps, this species is present in mountain or alpine calcareous dry grasslands (class Festuco-Brometea) while, in the few remaining plains, it is present in damp meadows with vegetation similar to the Molina grassland.
The species is characterized by a sort of basal rosette which is actually composed of couples of opposite leaves of different dimensions and a small flowering stem - 5-10 cm high - with opposite leaves narrower and narrower at the top with a single flower of 2-2.5 cm of diameter.
In the project area, the species has suffered a reduction in numbers of specimen in the last decades, first of all because of the destruction of biotopes and recently probably because of the climatic conditions since the '90s with hot and dry periods during the vegetative season which ofcourse are not favourable to the species.