The reintroduction of Yellow gentian on Mount Genziana, CE Sardinia

Summary

Yellow gentian is a long-lived mountain wildflower whose only Sardinian population, at the southern edge of its European range, is confined to scattered stands in the Gennargentu Massif and had gone locally extinct on Monte Genziana through root harvesting. Researchers at the University of Cagliari used species distribution modelling of historical range, geomorphology and climate to identify Serra Siccorruli, a site on Monte Genziana at 1,425 metres, as ecologically suitable for a reintroduction, and separately tested seed germination conditions in the field and laboratory to guide the planting. Seeds were collected from Sardinia's largest surviving population to maximize genetic diversity, then grown for one to three years in regional forestry agency greenhouses before the chosen site was fenced, following lessons from earlier Sardinian translocations. Plantings took place in two rounds, December 2014 and March 2015, using both one-year-old and three-year-old plants, to compare how age and season affected establishment. Monthly monitoring from April to September found similar survival across both ages and both planting seasons, with most mortality occurring in the first year, chiefly from summer drought since seedlings had not yet rooted deep enough to reach subsoil moisture; by the third year, 94 of the original 200 plants, 47 percent, remained alive. The project rates itself highly successful, citing strong post-drought survival and the fence's role in excluding grazing, though flowering, seed output and natural recruitment will only be confirmed with further years of monitoring.