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This session will introduce you to seven rare plants. You will learn where they grow, how to identify them, what threats they are facing, and what management and conservation actions are in progress to protect them.
The species featured include:
Presenter: Dr Ingrid Jüttner
The Goldilocks Aster is a perennial herb with a flat-headed inflorescence of yellow tubular flowers and linear leaves. It grows on shallow soils over limestone in open grassland or in low heath at sea cliffs and flowers in August and September. In Wales it can be found in coastal habitats on the Gower and in Pembrokeshire, and on the Great Orme in Caernarvonshire. Because the species is self-incompatible, large, genetically diverse populations are needed to produce enough seeds to prevent its decline. It is a poor competitor and needs short, open vegetation. Threats are heavy grazing and trampling, herbicide use and extreme weather which causes drought. Beneficial management includes light grazing to prevent scrub encroachment, and to ensure light disturbance to create open areas where seeds can germinate.
The Field Gentian is a perennial herb growing in calcareous grassland, dunes, machair, along forest rides, on coastal and mountain slopes and on river banks. The inflorescence consists of purplish-blue, occasionally white, flowers. Most UK populations occur in Scotland and northern England. In Wales the Field Gentian is found in Anglesey, Powys and in coastal areas in South and West Wales. It is pollinated by bumblebees, but is also self-fertile. The seeds are not viable long-term, and without suitable habitat for germination, the population will decline. Beneficial management includes mowing of grassland in summer and autumn grazing, both to prevent shrub encroachment. It benefits from gaps in the grass to germinate.
The Burnt Orchid is a perennial herb which grows in grazed chalk and limestone grassland, on sand and gravel soils along rivers, and on sand dunes. The dense, egg-shaped flower spike contains numerous flowers with a dark-red helmet conspicuous at the top, where flowers are unopened giving the impression that the tip is burnt. The flower lip is white or pale pink with dark red spots. The Burnt Orchid was once locally frequent in suitable habitats on base-rich soils throughout much of England as far north as Northumberland, but has declined dramatically and is now extremely local. It is not recorded in Scotland and very rare in Wales. It may take many years before flowering, often flowers for a few years, then remains in a vegetative state or becomes dormant for several years, and setting of fruit can be low. It is also a poor competitor. Threats include agricultural intensification with ploughing, pesticide use, and over or under grazing. Management should include maintenance of a nutrient-poor, short, open sward.
The Fen Orchid is one of Britains rarest and most threatened orchids and is a perennial herb of lowlands. It has suffered a significant decline due to habitat loss, drainage, scrub invasion, and is now found at much fewer sites than previously. Two varieties, which differ in leaf shape, occur in the UK and live in dune slacks in South Wales and in the fens of East Anglia. It is a small orchid and a pioneer species. The yellow-green flowers appear in June and July and are self-pollinating. Important for the orchid’s conservation in Wales is the maintenance and where necessary the creation of new dune slacks.
The Broad-fruited Cornsalad is an annual herb which has declined since the middle of the 20th century due to intensification of farming and the use of more competitive crops. It cannot grow properly with dense and tall surrounding vegetation. In Wales the species was last seen in 2009. It has small white flowers, occurs in extensively managed agricultural fields and flowers in June – August. The Cornsalad has long-lived seeds and when conditions are suitable after beneficial management, it can reappear, although this appearance can be erratic.
The Three-lobed Crowfoot is an annual or perennial herb which lives in shallow, often temporary water bodies. It is found in mild, wet Atlantic areas with populations in Wales and southern England representing an important proportion of global populations. It is a subaquatic plant with small white flowers and leaves divided into 3 lobes. It is typically a winter annual which flowers early in the year and likes temporary, shallow ponds which are flooded in winter but might dry out in summer. It is a poor competitor and requires open habitats, fluctuating water levels and some disturbance either by grazing, poaching or traffic.
The Pale Dog-Violet is a perennial herb with white to light violet flowers which grows in open habitats of well-drained heath, and often near the coast in Wales and southern England because it does not tolerate severe frost. It is a poor competitor and intolerant of shade and therefore benefits from patchy conditions with bare, dry open ground. It colonises burnt or disturbed ground but requires time to establish. It hybridises with other violets and the often vigorous hybrids can lead to its decline. Beneficial management such as the protection of heathland, traditional grazing, scrub clearing and controlled burning can help to reestablish populations of this rare violet.
