sign in sign up
<<
Home , Alchemilla glabra, Allium oleraceum, Aphanes arvensis, Aquilegia vulgaris, Archaeophyte, Astragalus danicus

Road verges Last refuge for some of our rarest wild flowersand

Our floral verges “No botanist, nor any other decent human being, could help loving those wide grassy ‘verges’, frequently bush-strewn, which add so much charm and elbow-room to almost every lane and road in the district. It is a countryside of quiet beauty, still largely unspoiled, retaining much of the old-time fragrance of the true , before petrol and its attendant horrors were permitted to defile our most precious heritage.” Edmund B Bishop (1933). A few additions to the of Northamptonshire. The Botanical Society and Exchange Club of the British Isles.

Across the landscapes of , market. But others seem to be in constant our roadside verges are rich and varied flux, always being excavated, bulldozed and habitats home to a wealth of different dug-over. Here, the disturbed soil can support flowering plants and . a flora of poppies, sun spurge and other plants that you’re more likely to find in a cornfield. This tapestry ranges from dry chalk on the South Downs of England to acidic Then there are our motorways and A-roads roadside bogs of Mull in western . that are regularly salted in winter. The Some verges are damp, lush and shaded - think burnt edges of these highways are now of the sunken wooded lanes of South West exploited by a whole host of coastal plants England lined with primroses and bluebells, or that have found this niche to their liking. the oak-lined avenues of mid , rich with ferns and foxgloves. Others, like those of sandy Danish scurvy-grass ( danica) is heaths in the Breckland of East Anglia, are the most famous colonist, spreading inland baked dry and brown under the summer sun. from the coast, but even lesser sea-spurrey (Spergularia marina) and thrift (Armeria Many verges are effectively fragments of maritima) are now gaining a foot-hold. ancient and , white with oxeye daisies, yellow with buttercups and At the back of the verge, hedges, earth walls purple with orchids. Wet or dry, acid, neutral and ditches provide further habitats and can or calcareous, each is home to a characteristic shelter a vast diversity of wildlife. Hedges suite of . In northern England, the emulate transitions between woodland and grassy verges support iconic like grassland, and can be lined with plants of crane’s-bill ( sylvaticum) and semi-shade such as red campion (Silene common bistort (Persicaria bistorta) that dioica), spreading bellflower ( lend local identity to the roadside display. patula) and Bath ( pyrenaicum). Ditches are especially valuable, Some verges have persisted for centuries, tracing allowing flag iris (Iris pseudacorus), bulrush an unbroken history back hundreds of years (Typha latifolia), flowering-rush (Butomus as old drover’s roads, with wide grassy margins umbellatus) and meadowsweet ( where livestock once grazed on their way to ulmaria) to flourish on our roadsides.

Our floral verges 2 The road verge list This list has been produced in order to document the diversity of plants on road verges and help us appreciate their value

In order to provide an answer, we have consulted many sources, including county , county Which plants rare registers, ecological floras, and species dossiers published by BSBI and Plantlife. grow on However, two sources were especially useful in indicating whether species have been recorded our verges? from road verge habitats:  Species accounts in Preston CD, Pearman DA, Dines TD (2002) New Atlas of the British and Irish Flora. Oxford: Oxford University Press.  Lists of species by county given in Way, JM (1974) Co-operation for Conservation of Rural Road Verges. Institute of Terrestial Ecology Occassional Reports No. 2. Monks Wood: Huntingdon.

We have listed all native and archaeophyte In the list, we have indicated on which taxa for which we can find evidence of records types of verge each species can generally from road verge habitats in Great Britain. We be found growing. This is again not have not included all subspecies, hybrids comprehensive and neither is it exclusive: or critical taxa. The list is unlikely to be many species grow on many different types completely comprehensive and we invite of verge. The categories for where plants are anyone with information about additional generally found growing are as follows: species to contact us so we can add them to the list ([email protected]). Dry verges – either grassy or heathy in nature, including calcareous, neutral and acidic soils We have included all species growing within the boundary of the wide verge habitat, ie Damp verges – either grassy or heathy in nature, including calcareous, neutral and acidic soils from the enclosed boundary (wall, hedge or fence) to the road edge. This can include plants Disturbed verges – regularly or occasionally disturbed soils, often growing on and around the enclosed boundary, supporting cornfield annuals. the adjacent verge and any ditch and bank Wooded verge – verges in all wooded and shaded habitats, features. This therefore includes all species that including sunken lanes and banks shaded by . may be affected by road verge management. Salted verges – halophytes (-tolerant plants) spreading on Many verges are unenclosed – especially roads salted in winter. in upland areas of Wales, England and Ditches – emergent vegetation growing in drainage ditches, but Scotland – and in these cases we have taken not submerged or totally aquatic species. a pragmatic view an included species likely Hedgerow – found growing in and around hedgerows of all types, to be found within 3m of the road edge. including woody hedgerow species.

Our floral verges 3 How many plants grow on our verges? We asked the question: Of the 1,596 species we looked at which plants grow on our verges? 724 or 45.3% grow on verge habitats. The answer is unexpectedly high. If we add in hedgerow and ditch habitats, the total rises to 809 species or over 50.7% of our flora.

The breakdown by verge habitat as follows (note that species often occur in more than one category, so the percentage doesn’t add up to 100%):

Verge habitat Number of species % of all species

Grassy verges 579 36.3 Disturbed verges 86 5.4 Wooded verges 187 11.7 Salted verges 17 1.1 Total verge species 724 45.4 Ditches 51 3.6 Hedgerows 290 18.2 Total roadside species 809 50.7

This is an astonishing total. As well as highlighting the sheer diversity of our verges and roadsides, it really drives home their value for wildlife.

Our floral verges 4 GB Threat Latin name Common Name Category Verge habitat type(s) Adder's-tongue Ophioglossum vulgatum Dry, Hedgerow Agrimony Agrimonia eupatoria Dry Alder Alnus glutinosa Wooded, Hedgerow Alder Buckthorn Frangula alnus Wooded, Hedgerow Alexanders Damp, Hedgerow Almond Willow Salix triandra Hedgerow Alpine Clubmoss Diphasiastrum alpinum Dry Angular Solomon's-seal Polygonatum odoratum Wooded Annual -grass Poa annua Dry, Disturbed Annual Pearlwort Sagina apetala Dry Arctic Eyebright Euphrasia arctica subsp. borealis DD Damp Ash Fraxinus excelsior Wooded, Hedgerow Autumn Gentian Gentianella amarella Dry Autumn Hawkbit Scorzoneroides autumnalis Dry, Damp Autumn Lady's-tresses NT Dry Balm-leaved Figwort Scrophularia scorodonia Dry, Hedgerow Barberry Hedgerow Barren Brome Anisantha sterilis Disturbed Barren sterilis Wooded, Hedgerow acinos VU Dry Bastard Balm Melittis melissophyllum VU Wooded, Hedgerow Bastard-toadflax Dry Bay Willow Salix pentandra Wooded, Hedgerow Bearded Couch Elymus caninus Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Bedstraw Broomrape Orobanche caryophyllacea NT Dry Orchid Dry Fagus sylvatica Wooded, Hedgerow Bell Heather Erica cinerea Dry Betony officinalis Dry Bifid -nettle Galeopsis bifida Dry, Damp, Disturbed, Hedgerow Bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus Dry Cherry Prunus padus Wooded Bird's-eye Primrose Primula farinosa VU Damp Bird's-nest Orchid Neottia nidus-avis NT Wooded, Hedgerow Bithynian Vetch Vicia bithynica VU Hedgerow Biting Stonecrop Sedum acre Dry Bitter-vetch linifolius Dry, Hedgerow Bittersweet Solanum dulcamara Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow Black Bog-rush Schoenus nigricans Damp Black Bryony Tamus communis Hedgerow Black Horehound Ballota nigra Dry, Hedgerow Black Medick Medicago lupulina Dry Black Disturbed Black Spleenwort Asplenium adiantum-nigrum Wooded, Hedgerow

DD – Data Deficient NT – Near Threatened VU - Vulnerable EN - Endangered CR – Critically Endangered EW – Extinct in the Wild Our floral verges 5 Black-bindweed Fallopia convolvulus Dry, Disturbed Blackthorn Prunus spinosa Wooded, Hedgerow Bladder Campion Silene vulgaris Dry Bladderseed Physospermum cornubiense Wooded, Hedgerow Blinks Montia fontana Damp Bloody Crane's-bill Geranium sanguineum Dry Blue Fescue longifolia Dry Blue Fleabane Erigeron acris Dry Blue Water-Speedwell Veronica anagallis-aquatica Damp, Ditch Bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta Dry, Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow Blunt-flowered Rush subnodulosus Ditch Bog Asphodel Narthecium ossifragum Damp Bog Pimpernel Anagallis tenella Damp Bog Stitchwort Stellaria alsine Ditch Bog-myrtle Myrica gale Damp Boreau's Ramping-fumitory muralis subsp. boraei Hedgerow Borrer's Male- Dryopteris borreri Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow Borrer's Saltmarsh-grass Puccinellia fasciculata VU Salted Bracken Pteridium aquilinum Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Bramble Rubus fruticosus agg. Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Bristly Oxtongue Dry Bristly Oxtongue Picris echioides Dry Broad Buckler-fern Dryopteris dilatata Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow Broad-leaved Cottongrass latifolium Ditch Broad-leaved Dock Rumex obtusifolius Dry, Damp, Disturbed, Wooded, Hedgerow Broad-leaved Helleborine helleborine Dry, Wooded Broad-leaved Willowherb Epilobium montanum Dry, Hedgerow Brooklime Veronica beccabunga Damp, Ditch Broom Cytisus scoparius Dry Buck's-horn Plantain Plantago coronopus Salted Buckthorn Rhamnus cathartica Hedgerow Bugle Ajuga reptans Wooded, Hedgerow Bugloss Anchusa arvensis Dry Bulbous Buttercup bulbosus Dry Bulbous Celandine verna subsp. verna Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow Bulbous Meadow-grass Poa bulbosa Dry Bulbous Rush Juncus bulbosus Damp Bulrush Typha latifolia Ditch Bur Anthriscus caucalis Dry Bur Medick Medicago minima VU Dry Burnet Rose Rosa spinosissima Hedgerow Burnet-saxifrage Pimpinella Dry Burnt Orchid EN Dry Bush Vetch Vicia sepium Dry, Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow Butcher's-broom Ruscus aculeatus Hedgerow

DD – Data Deficient NT – Near Threatened VU - Vulnerable EN - Endangered CR – Critically Endangered EW – Extinct in the Wild Our floral verges 6 Butterbur Petasites hybridus Damp Caper Spurge Euphorbia lathyris Dry Carline Carlina vulgaris Dry Carnation Sedge panicea Damp Cat-mint cataria VU Dry, Hedgerow Cat's-ear Hypochaeris radicata Dry Celandine Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow Chalk Milkwort Polygala calcarea Dry Changing Forget-me-not discolor Dry, Disturbed Charlock Sinapis arvensis Dry, Disturbed Chewing's Fescue Festuca rubra subsp. commutata Dry Chicory Cichorium intybus Dry schoenoprasum Dry Cleavers aparine Disturbed Clustered Bellflower Campanula glomerata Dry Clustered Dock Rumex conglomeratus Damp, Hedgerow Cock's-foot Dactylis glomerata Dry Colt's-foot Tussilago farfara Dry, Damp, Disturbed, Hedgerow Columbine vulgaris Wooded, Hedgerow Common Bent Agrostis capillaris Dry, Damp, Hedgerow Common Bird's-foot-trefoil Lotus corniculatus Dry Common Bistort Persicaria bistorta Damp Common Broomrape Orobanche minor Dry Common Butterwort Pinguicula vulgaris Damp Common Calamint Clinopodium ascendens Dry, Hedgerow Common Centaury Centaurium erythraea Dry Common Chickweed Stellaria media Dry, Disturbed Common Comfrey Symphytum officinale Damp, Hedgerow Common Cornsalad Valerianella locusta Dry Common Cottongrass Ditch Common Couch Elytrigia repens Dry Common Cow- pratense Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Common Cudweed Filago vulgaris NT Dry Common Dog-violet Viola riviniana Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Common Duckweed Lemna minor Ditch Common Eyebright Euphrasia nemorosa Dry Common Figwort Scrophularia nodosa Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow Common Fleabane Pulicaria dysenterica Damp Common Fumitory Fumaria officinalis Disturbed Common Gromwell Lithospermum officinale Dry Common Hemp-nettle Galeopsis tetrahit Dry, Damp, Disturbed, Hedgerow Common Ivy Hedera helix Dry, Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow Common Knapweed Centaurea nigra Dry Common Mallow Malva sylvestris Dry Common Meadow-rue Thalictrum flavum Damp, Ditch Common Milkwort Polygala vulgaris Dry

DD – Data Deficient NT – Near Threatened VU - Vulnerable EN - Endangered CR – Critically Endangered EW – Extinct in the Wild Our floral verges 7 Common Mouse-ear Cerastium fontanum Dry Common Nettle Urtica dioica Dry, Damp, Disturbed, Wooded, Hedgerow Common Orache patula Dry, Disturbed Common Poppy Disturbed Common Ragwort Senecio jacobaea Dry, Damp Common Ramping-fumitory Hedgerow Common Reed Phragmites australis Ditch Common Restharrow repens Dry Common Rock-rose Helianthemum nummularium Dry Common Saltmarsh-grass Puccinellia maritima Salted Common Scurvygrass sens.lat. Dry, Damp, Salted, Hedgerow Common Sedge Carex nigra Damp Common Rumex acetosa Dry, Hedgerow Common Spike-rush Eleocharis palustris Ditch Common Spotted-orchid Dactylorhiza fuchsii Dry Common Stork's-bill Erodium cicutarium Dry Common Toadflax vulgaris Dry, Hedgerow Common Valerian Valeriana officinalis Dry, Damp, Ditch, Wooded, Hedgerow Common Vetch Vicia sativa Dry, Damp, Hedgerow Common Whitlowgrass Erophila verna sensu Stace Dry Common Whitlowgrasses Erophila verna sens.lat. Dry Common Wintergreen Pyrola minor Damp, Wooded Common Yellow-sedge Carex demissa Damp Compact Rush Juncus conglomeratus Damp, Ditch Confused Eyebright Euphrasia confusa DD Dry Copse-bindweed Fallopia dumetorum VU Wooded, Hedgerow Coralroot bulbifera Wooded, Hedgerow Corky-fruited Water-dropwort pimpinelloides Dry Corn Marigold segetum VU Disturbed Corn Mint arvensis Dry, Disturbed Corn Petroselinum segetum Dry Corn Spurrey Spergula arvensis VU Disturbed Cornflower Disturbed Cornish Heath Erica vagans Dry Cornish Moneywort Sibthorpia europaea Wooded, Hedgerow Cow Parsley Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Cowslip Primula veris Dry, Hedgerow Crab Apple Malus sylvestris sens.lat. Hedgerow Crack-willow Salix fragilis Hedgerow Creeping Bent Agrostis stolonifera Dry, Damp, Hedgerow Creeping Buttercup Ranunculus repens Dry, Damp Creeping Cinquefoil Potentilla reptans Dry Creeping Forget-me-not Myosotis secunda Ditch Creeping Soft-grass Holcus mollis Dry, Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow Creeping Thistle arvense Dry, Disturbed

DD – Data Deficient NT – Near Threatened VU - Vulnerable EN - Endangered CR – Critically Endangered EW – Extinct in the Wild Our floral verges 8 Creeping Willow Salix repens Dry Creeping-Jenny Lysimachia nummularia Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow Crested Cow-wheat Melampyrum cristatum EN Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Crested Dog's-tail Cynosurus cristatus Dry Cross-leaved Heath Erica tetralix Damp Crosswort laevipes Dry, Hedgerow Cuckooflower Cardamine pratensis Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow Curled Dock Rumex crispus Dry, Hedgerow Cut-leaved Crane's-bill Geranium dissectum Dry, Disturbed Cut-leaved Dead-nettle Lamium hybridum Disturbed Daffodil Narcissus pseudonarcissus subsp. Wooded, Hedgerow pseudonarcissus Daisy Bellis perennis Dry Dandelion Taraxacum Dry, Damp, Disturbed, Wooded, Hedgerow Danish Scurvygrass Cochlearia danica Salted Dark Mullein Verbascum nigrum Dry Dark-red Helleborine Epipactis atrorubens Dry Deadly Nightshade Atropa belladonna Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Deptford Pink Dianthus armeria EN Dry Devil's-bit Scabious Succisa pratensis Dry, Damp, Hedgerow Dewberry Rubus caesius Hedgerow Dog-rose Rosa canina sens.str. Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Dog's Mercury Mercurialis perennis Wooded, Hedgerow Dogwood Cornus sanguinea Hedgerow Dorset Heath Erica ciliaris Dry Dove's-foot Crane's-bill Geranium molle Dry, Hedgerow Downy Betula pubescens Wooded Downy Oat-grass Avenula pubescens Dry Downy Woundwort germanica EN Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Downy-fruited Sedge Carex filiformis Dry Dropwort Filipendula vulgaris Dry Dwarf Cherry Prunus cerasus Hedgerow Dwarf Elder Sambucus ebulus Dry, Hedgerow Dwarf Mallow Malva neglecta Dry Dwarf Mouse-ear Cerastium pumilum NT Dry Dwarf Thistle Cirsium acaule Dry Dyer's Greenweed tinctoria Dry Early Dog-violet Viola reichenbachiana Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Early Forget-me-not Myosotis ramosissima Dry, Disturbed Early Hair-grass Aira praecox Dry, Hedgerow Early Marsh-orchid Damp Early Meadow-grass Poa infirma Dry Early-purple Orchid Dry Elder Sambucus nigra Dry, Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow Elecampane Inula helenium Dry

DD – Data Deficient NT – Near Threatened VU - Vulnerable EN - Endangered CR – Critically Endangered EW – Extinct in the Wild Our floral verges 9 Enchanter's-nightshade Circaea lutetiana Wooded, Hedgerow English Elm Ulmus procera Hedgerow English Stonecrop Sedum anglicum Dry Equal-leaved Knotgrass Polygonum arenastrum Dry, Disturbed Eyebright Euphrasia officinalis agg. Dry, Damp Fairy catharticum Dry False Fox-sedge Damp, Hedgerow False Oat-grass Arrhenatherum elatius Dry False-brome sylvaticum Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Fat Duckweed Lemna gibba Ditch Fat-hen Chenopodium album Disturbed Fen Bedstraw Galium uliginosum Damp Fen Ragwort Senecio paludosus CR Damp, Ditch Foeniculum vulgare Dry Feverfew Tanacetum parthenium Dry, Disturbed Fiddle Dock Rumex pulcher Dry Field Bindweed Convolvulus arvensis Disturbed Field Cow-wheat Melampyrum arvense EN Dry, Hedgerow Field Forget-me-not Myosotis arvensis Disturbed Field VU Dry Field Gentian Gentianella campestris VU Dry Field Horsetail Equisetum arvense Dry, Damp, Hedgerow Field Madder Sherardia arvensis Disturbed Field Maple Acer campestre Wooded, Hedgerow Field Mouse-ear Cerastium arvense Dry Field Penny-cress Dry, Disturbed Field Scabious Knautia arvensis Dry Field Wood-rush campestris Dry Field Wormwood Artemisia campestris VU Dry Field Woundwort Stachys arvensis NT Dry, Disturbed Field-rose Rosa arvensis Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Fine-leaved Sheep's-fescue Festuca filiformis Dry Fir Clubmoss Huperzia selago Dry Floating Club-rush Eleogiton fluitans Ditch Floating Sweet-grass Glyceria fluitans Ditch Flowering-rush Butomus umbellatus Ditch Orchid VU Dry Fool's Parsley Aethusa cynapium Disturbed Fool's-water-cress Apium nodiflorum Damp Foxglove Digitalis purpurea Dry Fragrant Agrimony Agrimonia procera Dry Fragrant Orchid Gymnadenia conopsea Dry French Oat-grass Gaudinia fragilis Dry, Damp Fringed Pearlwort Sagina filicaulis Dry Frog Orchid viride VU Dry

DD – Data Deficient NT – Near Threatened VU - Vulnerable EN - Endangered CR – Critically Endangered EW – Extinct in the Wild Our floral verges 10 Frogbit Hydrocharis morsus-ranae VU Ditch Garlic Mustard Alliaria petiolata Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Germander Speedwell Veronica chamaedrys Dry, Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow Giant Bellflower Campanula latifolia Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Giant Fescue Schedonorus giganteus Wooded, Hedgerow Glabrous Whitlowgrass Erophila glabrescens Dry Glaucous Dog-rose Rosa caesia subsp. vosagiaca Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Glaucous Sedge Carex flacca Dry, Damp Goat Willow Salix caprea Hedgerow Goat's-beard Tragopogon pratensis Dry, Hedgerow Goldenrod Solidago virgaurea Hedgerow Goldilocks Buttercup Ranunculus auricomus Dry, Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow Good-King-Henry Chenopodium bonus-henricus VU Dry Gorse europaeus Dry, Hedgerow Grape-hyacinth Muscari neglectum VU Dry Grass Vetchling Lathyrus nissolia Dry Grass-leaved Orache Atriplex littoralis Salted Grass-of-Parnassus Parnassia palustris Damp Great Burnet Sanguisorba officinalis Damp Great Horsetail Equisetum telmateia Damp, Ditch, Hedgerow Great Lettuce Lactuca virosa Dry Great Mullein Verbascum thapsus Dry, Hedgerow Great Pignut bulbocastanum Dry Great Willowherb Epilobium hirsutum Damp, Hedgerow Great Wood-rush Luzula sylvatica Wooded, Hedgerow Greater Bird's-foot-trefoil Lotus pedunculatus Damp Greater Broomrape Orobanche rapum-genistae NT Hedgerow Greater Burdock Arctium lappa Dry, Hedgerow Greater Burnet-saxifrage Pimpinella major Dry Greater -orchid Platanthera chlorantha NT Dry, Wooded Greater Celandine Dry Greater Chickweed Stellaria neglecta Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow Greater Dodder Cuscuta europaea Dry Greater Duckweed Spirodela polyrhiza Ditch Greater Knapweed Centaurea scabiosa Dry Greater Plantain Plantago major Dry Greater Sea-spurrey Spergularia media Salted Greater Stitchwort Stellaria holostea Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Green Field-speedwell Veronica agrestis Disturbed Green Figwort Scrophularia umbrosa Damp, Wooded Green Helleborus viridis Wooded, Hedgerow Green-flowered Helleborine Epipactis phyllanthes Wooded, Hedgerow Green-ribbed Sedge Carex binervis Dry Green-winged Orchid NT Dry Grey Sedge Carex divulsa subsp. divulsa Dry, Hedgerow

DD – Data Deficient NT – Near Threatened VU - Vulnerable EN - Endangered CR – Critically Endangered EW – Extinct in the Wild Our floral verges 11 Ground-elder Dry, Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow Ground-ivy Glechoma hederacea Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Groundsel Senecio vulgaris Disturbed Guelder-rose Viburnum opulus Wooded, Hedgerow Gypsywort Lycopus europaeus Ditch Hairy Bird's-foot-trefoil Lotus subbiflorus Dry Hairy Bitter-cress Cardamine hirsuta Disturbed, Wooded Hairy Buttercup Ranunculus sardous Damp Hairy Dog-rose Rosa caesia subsp. caesia Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Hairy Lady's-mantle filicaulis subsp. vestita Dry Hairy Rock-cress Arabis hirsuta Dry Hairy Sedge Carex hirta Dry, Damp, Hedgerow Hairy St John's-wort hirsutum Dry, Hedgerow Hairy Tare Vicia hirsuta Dry, Hedgerow Hairy Violet Viola hirta Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Hairy Wood-rush Luzula pilosa Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow Hairy-brome Bromopsis ramosa Hedgerow Hard Rush Juncus inflexus Damp, Ditch Hard Shield-fern Polystichum aculeatum Wooded, Hedgerow Hard-fern Blechnum spicant Wooded, Hedgerow Hare's-foot Clover Trifolium arvense Dry Harebell Campanula rotundifolia Dry Harsh Downy-rose Rosa tomentosa Hedgerow Hart's-tongue Asplenium scolopendrium Wooded, Hedgerow Hawkweeds Hieracium agg Dry Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna Hedgerow Hazel Corylus avellana Wooded, Hedgerow Heath Bedstraw Galium saxatile Dry Heath Fragrant-orchid Gymnadenia borealis Dry Heath Milkwort Polygala serpyllifolia Dry Heath Pearlwort Sagina subulata Dry Heath Rush Juncus squarrosus Damp Heath Speedwell Veronica officinalis Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Heath Spotted-orchid Dactylorhiza maculata Dry, Damp Heath Wood-rush Luzula multiflora Dry Heath-grass Danthonia decumbens Dry Heather Calluna vulgaris Dry Hedge Bedstraw Galium album Dry, Hedgerow Hedge Bindweed Calystegia sepium Wooded, Hedgerow Hedge Mustard Sisymbrium officinale Dry, Disturbed, Hedgerow Hedge Woundwort Stachys sylvatica Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Hemlock Conium maculatum Dry Hemlock Water-dropwort Oenanthe crocata Damp, Ditch Hemp-agrimony Eupatorium cannabinum Dry, Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow Henbane Hyoscyamus niger VU Dry, Disturbed Henbit Dead-nettle Lamium amplexicaule Disturbed

DD – Data Deficient NT – Near Threatened VU - Vulnerable EN - Endangered CR – Critically Endangered EW – Extinct in the Wild Our floral verges 12 -Robert Geranium robertianum Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Hoary Cinquefoil Potentilla argentea NT Dry Hoary Mullein Verbascum pulverulentum Dry, Hedgerow Hoary Plantain Plantago media Dry Hoary Ragwort Senecio erucifolius Dry Hoary Willowherb Epilobium parviflorum Damp Hog's Fennel Peucedanum officinale Damp Hogweed Heracleum sphondylium Dry, Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow Holly Ilex aquifolium Wooded, Hedgerow Honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum Wooded, Hedgerow Hop Humulus lupulus Hedgerow Hop Trefoil Trifolium campestre Dry Hornbeam Carpinus betulus Wooded Horse- Armoracia rusticana Dry Horseshoe Vetch Hippocrepis comosa Dry Imperforate St John's-wort Dry, Damp Intermediate Lady's-mantle Alchemilla xanthochlora Dry Intermediate Polypody Polypodium interjectum Wooded, Hedgerow Isle-of-Man Cabbage monensis subsp. monensis Hedgerow Italian Lords-and-Ladies Arum italicum subsp. neglectum Wooded, Hedgerow Ivy Broomrape Orobanche hederae Hedgerow Ivy-leaved Crowfoot Ranunculus hederaceus Ditch Ivy-leaved Duckweed Lemna trisulca Ditch Ivy-leaved Speedwell Veronica hederifolia Dry, Disturbed, Hedgerow Jointed Rush Juncus articulatus Ditch Juniper Juniperus communis Dry Keeled-fruited Cornsalad Valerianella carinata Dry Kidney Vetch Anthyllis vulneraria Dry Knapweed Broomrape Orobanche elatior Dry Knotgrass Polygonum aviculare Dry, Disturbed Knotgrasses Polygonum aviculare agg. Dry, Disturbed Knotted Clover Trifolium striatum Dry Lady-fern Athyrium filix-femina Wooded, Hedgerow Lady's Bedstraw Dry Lanceolate Spleenwort Asplenium obovatum NT Hedgerow Large Bitter-cress Cardamine amara Wooded, Hedgerow Large Garden pulegioides Dry Lesser Burdock Arctium minus Dry, Hedgerow Lesser Butterfly-orchid VU Dry, Damp Lesser Calamint Clinopodium Dry Lesser Celandine Ficaria verna subsp. fertilis Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow Lesser Chickweed Stellaria pallida Dry Lesser Hairy-brome Bromopsis benekenii Wooded, Hedgerow Lesser Hawkbit Leontodon saxatilis Dry Lesser Meadow-rue Thalictrum minus Dry

DD – Data Deficient NT – Near Threatened VU - Vulnerable EN - Endangered CR – Critically Endangered EW – Extinct in the Wild Our floral verges 13 Lesser Periwinkle Vinca minor Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Lesser Quaking-grass minor Disturbed Lesser Sea-spurrey Spergularia marina Salted Lesser Skullcap Scutellaria minor Damp Lesser Spearwort Ranunculus flammula Ditch Lesser Stitchwort Stellaria graminea Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Lesser Trefoil Trifolium dubium Dry, Damp, Hedgerow Lily-of-the-valley Convallaria majalis Wooded, Hedgerow Little Mouse-ear Cerastium semidecandrum Dry Little-Robin Geranium purpureum Dry, Hedgerow Lizard Orchid hircinum Dry Long-headed Poppy Papaver dubium Disturbed Long-stalked Crane's-bill Geranium columbinum Hedgerow Loose Silky-bent Apera spica-venti NT Disturbed Lords-and-Ladies Arum maculatum Wooded, Hedgerow Lousewort Pedicularis sylvatica Damp Maiden Pink Dianthus deltoides NT Dry Maidenhair Spleenwort Asplenium trichomanes Wooded, Hedgerow Male-fern Dryopteris filix-mas Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow Man Orchid Orchis anthropophora EN Dry Many-leaved Sedge Carex divulsa subsp. leersii Dry, Hedgerow Marsh Cinquefoil palustre Damp, Ditch Marsh Cudweed Gnaphalium uliginosum Damp Marsh Foxtail Alopecurus geniculatus Damp Marsh Hawk's-beard paludosa Damp Marsh Horsetail Equisetum palustre Damp, Ditch, Hedgerow Marsh Lousewort Pedicularis palustris Damp Marsh Pennywort vulgaris Hedgerow Marsh Ragwort Senecio aquaticus Ditch Marsh Sow-thistle Sonchus palustris Damp Marsh Thistle Damp Marsh Valerian Valeriana dioica Damp Marsh Violet Viola palustris Damp Marsh Willowherb Epilobium palustre Damp, Ditch Marsh Woundwort Stachys palustris Damp Marsh-bedstraw Galium palustre Damp Marsh-marigold palustris Damp Martin's Ramping-fumitory Fumaria reuteri Hedgerow Masterwort Imperatoria ostruthium NT Damp Meadow Barley secalinum Damp Meadow Brome commutatus Damp Meadow Buttercup Ranunculus acris Dry Meadow Clary Salvia pratensis NT Dry Meadow Crane's-bill Geranium pratense Dry, Damp Meadow Fescue Schedonorus pratensis Dry, Damp

DD – Data Deficient NT – Near Threatened VU - Vulnerable EN - Endangered CR – Critically Endangered EW – Extinct in the Wild Our floral verges 14 Meadow Foxtail Alopecurus pratensis Dry, Damp Meadow Oat-grass Avenula pratensis Dry Meadow Colchicum autumnale NT Damp Meadow Saxifrage Saxifraga granulata Dry Meadow Vetchling Lathyrus pratensis Dry, Hedgerow Meadowsweet Damp, Hedgerow Melancholy Thistle Cirsium heterophyllum Damp Midland Hawthorn Crataegus laevigata Hedgerow Monk's-rhubarb Rumex alpinus NT Dry Moon Seseli libanotis NT Dry Moonwort Botrychium lunaria Dry Moschatel Adoxa moschatellina Wooded, Hedgerow Mountain Everlasting Antennaria dioica Dry Mountain Melick Melica nutans Wooded, Hedgerow Mountain Pansy Viola lutea Dry Mouse-ear-hawkweed Pilosella officinarum Dry Mousetail Myosurus minimus VU Disturbed Artemisia vulgaris Dry Musk Orchid Herminium monorchis VU Dry Musk Stork's-bill Erodium moschatum Dry Musk Thistle nutans Dry, Disturbed Musk-mallow Malva moschata Dry Narrow Male-fern Dryopteris cambrensis Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow Narrow-fruited Water-cress Nasturtium microphyllum Ditch Narrow-leaved Bird's-foot-trefoil Lotus tenuis Damp Narrow-leaved Bitter-cress Cardamine impatiens NT Damp Narrow-leaved Cudweed Filago gallica EW Dry Narrow-leaved Everlasting- Lathyrus sylvestris Hedgerow Narrow-leaved Helleborine longifolia VU Wooded Narrow-leaved Lungwort Wooded, Hedgerow Narrow-leaved Pepperwort Lepidium ruderale Salted Narrow-lipped Helleborine DD Wooded, Hedgerow Navelwort Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Nettle-leaved Bellflower Campanula trachelium Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Nipplewort Lapsana communis Dry, Disturbed, Wooded, Hedgerow Nodding Bur-marigold Bidens cernua Ditch Northern Bedstraw Galium boreale Damp Northern Dock Rumex longifolius Dry, Disturbed Northern Marsh-orchid Dactylorhiza purpurella Damp Nottingham Catchfly Silene nutans NT Dry Opium Poppy Papaver somniferum Disturbed Opposite-leaved Golden- Chrysosplenium oppositifolium Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow saxifrage Orpine Sedum telephium Dry, Hedgerow Osier Salix viminalis Hedgerow Oval Sedge Carex leporina Dry Oxeye Daisy Leucanthemum vulgare Dry DD – Data Deficient NT – Near Threatened VU - Vulnerable EN - Endangered CR – Critically Endangered EW – Extinct in the Wild Our floral verges 15 Oxlip Primula elatior NT Wooded, Hedgerow Pale Dog-violet Viola lactea VU Dry Pale Flax Linum bienne Dry Pale Persicaria Persicaria lapathifolia Disturbed Pale St John's-wort NT Hedgerow Pale Toadflax Linaria repens Dry Pale Willowherb Epilobium roseum Dry Parsley-piert arvensis Dry, Disturbed Pear Pyrus communis sens.lat. Wooded, Hedgerow Pedunculate Oak Quercus robur Wooded, Hedgerow Pendulous Sedge Carex pendula Ditch, Hedgerow Pepper-saxifrage Silaum silaus Damp Perennial Flax Linum perenne Dry Perennial Rye-grass Dry Perennial Sow-thistle Sonchus arvensis Dry, Damp, Hedgerow Perennial Wall-rocket Diplotaxis tenuifolia Dry Perforate St John's-wort Dry, Hedgerow Petty Spurge Euphorbia peplus Disturbed Petty Whin Genista anglica NT Damp Pignut Dry Pill Sedge Carex pilulifera Damp Plicate Sweet-grass Glyceria notata Ditch Ploughman's-spikenard Inula conyzae Dry Plymouth Pear Pyrus cordata VU Hedgerow Polypodies Polypodium vulgare sens.lat. Wooded, Hedgerow Polypody Polypodium vulgare Wooded, Hedgerow Prickly Lettuce Lactuca serriola Dry, Disturbed Prickly Sow-thistle Sonchus asper Dry, Disturbed Primrose Primula vulgaris Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow Procumbent Pearlwort Sagina procumbens Dry, Damp, Disturbed Proliferous Pink Petrorhagia prolifera EN Dry Prostrate Perennial Knawel Scleranthus perennis subsp. EN Dry prostratus Purple Milk-vetch danicus EN Dry Purple Moor-grass Molinia caerulea Damp Purple Ramping-fumitory Fumaria purpurea Hedgerow Purple Willow Salix purpurea Hedgerow Purple-loosestrife Lythrum salicaria Damp Purple-stem Cat's-tail Phleum phleoides Dry Pyramidal Orchid Dry Quaking-grass Briza media Dry Ragged-Robin Silene flos-cuculi Damp, Ditch Rampion Bellflower Campanula rapunculus EN Dry Ramsons Wooded, Hedgerow Raspberry Rubus idaeus Hedgerow Rat's-tail Fescue Vulpia myuros Dry

DD – Data Deficient NT – Near Threatened VU - Vulnerable EN - Endangered CR – Critically Endangered EW – Extinct in the Wild Our floral verges 16 Red Bartsia Odontites vernus Dry Red Campion Silene dioica Dry, Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow Red Clover Trifolium pratense Dry, Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow Red Dead-nettle Lamium purpureum Dry, Disturbed Red Fescues Festuca rubra agg. Dry Redshank Persicaria maculosa Dry, Disturbed Reed Canary-grass Phalaris arundinacea Damp Reed Sweet-grass Glyceria maxima Ditch Reflexed Saltmarsh-grass Puccinellia distans Salted Ribwort Plantain Plantago lanceolata Dry Rock Samphire maritimum Dry Rosebay Willowherb Chamerion angustifolium Dry Rough Chervil Chaerophyllum temulum Dry Rough Hawk's-beard Crepis biennis Dry Rough Hawkbit Leontodon hispidus Dry Rough Meadow-grass Poa trivialis Dry Round-headed Rampion orbiculare Dry Round-leaved Crane's-bill Geranium rotundifolium Dry, Hedgerow Round-leaved Dog-rose Rosa obtusifolia Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Round-leaved Mint Mentha suaveolens DD Dry Round-leaved Sundew Drosera rotundifolia Damp Round-leaved Wintergreen Pyrola rotundifolia subsp. NT Damp, Wooded rotundifolia Rowan Sorbus aucuparia Wooded, Hedgerow Royal Fern Osmunda regalis Damp, Hedgerow Rue-leaved Saxifrage Saxifraga tridactylites Dry Rusty Willow Salix cinerea subsp. oleifolia Hedgerow Sainfoin Onobrychis viciifolia VU Dry Salad Burnet Poterium sanguisorba subsp. Dry sanguisorba Sand Catchfly Silene conica VU Dry, Disturbed Sand Allium scorodoprasum Dry Sand Sedge Carex arenaria Dry Sanicle Sanicula europaea Wooded, Hedgerow Saw-wort Serratula tinctoria Dry Scaly Male-fern Dryopteris affinis Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow Scarlet Pimpernel Anagallis arvensis Disturbed Scented Mayweed Matricaria chamomilla Disturbed Scentless Mayweed Tripleurospermum inodorum Dry, Disturbed Sea Barley Hordeum marinum VU Salted Sea Carrot Daucus carota subsp. gummifer Dry Sea Fern-grass Catapodium marinum Salted Sea Mayweed Tripleurospermum maritimum Dry, Salted Sea Mouse-ear Cerastium diffusum Dry Sea Pearlwort Sagina maritima Dry Sea Plantain Plantago maritima Salted

DD – Data Deficient NT – Near Threatened VU - Vulnerable EN - Endangered CR – Critically Endangered EW – Extinct in the Wild Our floral verges 17 Sea Stork's-bill Erodium maritimum Dry Selfheal Prunella vulgaris Dry, Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow Sessile Oak Quercus petraea Wooded, Hedgerow Sharp-flowered Rush Juncus acutiflorus Damp, Ditch Sheep's Sorrel Rumex acetosella Dry Sheep's-bit Jasione montana Dry, Hedgerow Sheep's-fescue Festuca ovina Dry Sheep's-fescues Festuca ovina agg. Dry Shepherd's Cress Teesdalia nudicaulis NT Dry Shepherd's-needle Scandix pecten-veneris CR Disturbed Shepherd's-purse Capsella bursa-pastoris Disturbed Sherard's Downy-rose Rosa sherardii Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Shining Crane's-bill Geranium lucidum Dry, Hedgerow Shining Lady's-mantle Alchemilla micans EN Dry Short-styled Field-rose Rosa stylosa Hedgerow Sickle Medick Medicago sativa subsp. falcata Dry Silky Lady's-mantle Alchemilla glaucescens Dry Silver Birch Wooded Silver Hair-grass Aira caryophyllea Dry, Hedgerow Silverweed Potentilla anserina Dry Skullcap Scutellaria galericulata Damp Slender Eyebright Euphrasia micrantha DD Damp Slender Hare's-ear Bupleurum tenuissimum VU Dry Slender Parsley-piert Aphanes australis Dry, Disturbed Slender St John's-wort Dry, Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow Slender Tare Vicia parviflora VU Damp Slender Thistle Carduus tenuiflorus Dry Slender Trefoil Trifolium micranthum Dry Small Fleabane Pulicaria vulgaris EN Damp Small Nettle Urtica urens Dry, Disturbed Small Scabious Scabiosa columbaria Dry Small Sweet-grass Glyceria declinata Ditch Small Teasel Dipsacus pilosus Hedgerow Small-flowered Crane's-bill Geranium pusillum Dry Small-flowered Hair-grass Deschampsia cespitosa subsp. Wooded parviflora Small-flowered Sweet-briar Rosa micrantha Wooded, Hedgerow Small-fruited Prickly-sedge Carex muricata subsp. pairae Dry Small-leaved Elm Ulmus minor sensu Stace Wooded, Hedgerow Smaller Cat's-tail Phleum bertolonii Dry Smooth Brome Bromus racemosus Damp Smooth Hawk's-beard Dry Smooth Lady's-mantle Alchemilla glabra Dry Smooth Meadow-grass Poa pratensis sens.lat. Dry Smooth Meadow-grass Poa pratensis sens.str. Dry Smooth Rupturewort Herniaria glabra Dry

DD – Data Deficient NT – Near Threatened VU - Vulnerable EN - Endangered CR – Critically Endangered EW – Extinct in the Wild Our floral verges 18 Smooth Sow-thistle Sonchus oleraceus Dry, Disturbed Smooth Tare Vicia tetrasperma Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Sneezewort Achillea ptarmica Damp Soapwort Dry, Damp, Hedgerow Soft Brome Bromus hordeaceus Dry, Disturbed Soft Downy-rose Rosa mollis Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Soft Shield-fern Polystichum setiferum Wooded, Hedgerow Soft-leaved Sedge Carex montana Dry Soft-rush Juncus effusus Damp, Ditch Solomon's-seal Polygonatum multiflorum Wooded, Hedgerow Southern Marsh-orchid Dactylorhiza praetermissa Damp Southern Wood-rush Luzula forsteri Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow Spanish Catchfly Silene otites EN Dry Spear Mint Mentha spicata Dry Spear Thistle Dry, Disturbed Spear-leaved Orache Atriplex prostrata Disturbed, Salted Spear-leaved Willowherb Epilobium lanceolatum Dry Spignel Meum athamanticum NT Dry Spiked Rampion Phyteuma spicatum EN Damp, Wooded Spiked Sedge Carex spicata Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow Spiked Star-of-Bethlehem Ornithogalum pyrenaicum Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Spiny Restharrow Dry Spotted Cat's-ear Hypochaeris maculata NT Dry Spotted Medick Medicago arabica Dry Spreading Bellflower Campanula patula EN Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Spreading Meadow-grass Poa humilis Dry Spring Cinquefoil Potentilla tabernaemontani Dry Spring Squill Scilla verna Dry Spring Vetch Vicia lathyroides Dry Spring-sedge Carex caryophyllea Dry Spurge-laurel Daphne laureola Wooded, Hedgerow Square-stalked St John's-wort Damp Square-stalked Willowherb Epilobium tetragonum Dry, Damp Squinancywort Asperula cynanchica Dry Squirreltail Fescue Vulpia bromoides Dry Stag's-horn Clubmoss Lycopodium clavatum Dry Star Sedge Carex echinata Damp Starry Lady's-mantle Alchemilla acutiloba VU Dry Starved Wood-sedge Carex depauperata EN Wooded Sticky Mouse-ear Cerastium glomeratum Dry Stiff Saltmarsh-grass Puccinellia rupestris Salted Stinking Iris Iris foetidissima Wooded, Hedgerow Stone Parsley Sison amomum Dry, Hedgerow Strawberry Clover Trifolium fragiferum Dry Sulphur Clover Trifolium ochroleucon VU Dry, Hedgerow Summer Snowflake Leucojum aestivum Dry, Damp

DD – Data Deficient NT – Near Threatened VU - Vulnerable EN - Endangered CR – Critically Endangered EW – Extinct in the Wild Our floral verges 19 Sun Spurge Euphorbia helioscopia Disturbed Sweet Wooded Sweet Vernal-grass Anthoxanthum odoratum Dry Sweet Violet Viola odorata Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Sweet-briar Rosa rubiginosa Hedgerow Swine-cress Lepidium squamatum Dry Tall Fescue Schedonorus arundinaceus Dry, Damp Tall Melilot Melilotus altissimus Dry, Disturbed Tall Ramping-fumitory Fumaria bastardii Hedgerow Tansy Tanacetum vulgare Dry Thale Cress Arabidopsis thaliana Disturbed Thistle Broomrape NT Dry Three-nerved Sandwort Moehringia trinervia Wooded, Hedgerow Thrift Armeria maritima Dry, Salted Thyme-leaved Sandwort Arenaria serpyllifolia Dry Thyme-leaved Speedwell Veronica serpyllifolia Dry, Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow Timothy Phleum pratense Dry Timothy Phleum pratense sens.lat. Dry Toadflax-leaved St John's-wort Hypericum linariifolium NT Dry Toothwort Lathraea squamaria Hedgerow Tormentil Potentilla erecta Dry Tower Mustard Turritis glabra EN Dry Trailing St John's-wort Dry Trailing Tormentil Potentilla anglica Dry Traveller's-joy Clematis vitalba Wooded, Hedgerow Treacle-mustard Erysimum cheiranthoides Dry Trifid Bur-marigold Bidens tripartita Ditch True Fox-sedge Carex vulpina VU Damp Tufted Hair-grass Deschampsia cespitosa subsp. Dry cespitosa Tufted Vetch Vicia cracca Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Brassica rapa Disturbed Tutsan Wooded, Hedgerow Twayblade Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Upright Brome Bromopsis erecta Dry, Hedgerow Upright Hedge-parsley Torilis japonica Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Velvet Lady's-mantle Alchemilla monticola EN Dry Vervain Verbena officinalis Dry Violet Helleborine Epipactis purpurata Wooded, Hedgerow Viper's-bugloss vulgare Dry, Disturbed Wall Barley Hordeum murinum Dry, Disturbed Wall Lettuce Mycelis muralis Wooded, Hedgerow Wall Speedwell Veronica arvensis Disturbed Wall-rue Asplenium ruta-muraria Hedgerow Water Avens Geum rivale Damp Water Figwort Scrophularia auriculata Ditch

DD – Data Deficient NT – Near Threatened VU - Vulnerable EN - Endangered CR – Critically Endangered EW – Extinct in the Wild Our floral verges 20 Water Forget-me-not Myosotis scorpioides Ditch Water Horsetail Equisetum fluviatile Ditch, Hedgerow Water Mint Mentha aquatica Damp Water-cress Nasturtium officinale Ditch Water-cresses Nasturtium officinale agg. Ditch Water-violet Hottonia palustris Ditch Wavy Bitter-cress Cardamine flexuosa Disturbed, Wooded Wavy Hair-grass Deschampsia flexuosa Dry Wayfaring- Viburnum lantana Hedgerow Weld Reseda luteola Dry Welsh Groundsel Senecio cambrensis NT Dry, Disturbed Welsh Poppy Meconopsis cambrica Hedgerow Welted Thistle Carduus crispus Dry, Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow Western Gorse Ulex gallii Dry, Hedgerow Western Ramping-fumitory Fumaria occidentalis Dry, Hedgerow White Bryony Bryonia dioica Wooded, Hedgerow White Campion Silene latifolia Dry, Hedgerow White Clover Trifolium repens Dry, Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow White Dead-nettle Lamium album Dry, Hedgerow White Helleborine VU Wooded White Mullein Verbascum lychnitis Dry Sinapis alba Dry, Disturbed White Ramping-fumitory Fumaria capreolata Hedgerow White Stonecrop Sedum album Dry White Willow Salix alba Hedgerow Wild Angelica Angelica sylvestris Damp, Wooded Wild Basil Dry Wild Cabbage Brassica oleracea Disturbed Wild Carrot Daucus carota subsp. carota Dry Wild Cherry Prunus avium Wooded Wild Clary Salvia verbenaca Dry Wild Leek Dry Wild Astragalus glycyphyllos Dry, Wooded Wild Madder Rubia peregrina Hedgerow Wild vulgare subsp. vulgare Dry, Hedgerow Wild Mignonette Reseda lutea Dry Wild Dry Wild Pastinaca sativa Dry Wild Plum Prunus domestica Wooded, Hedgerow Wild Privet Ligustrum vulgare Hedgerow Wild Radish Raphanus raphanistrum subsp. Dry raphanistrum Wild Strawberry Fragaria vesca Dry, Hedgerow Wild Teasel Dipsacus fullonum sens.lat. Dry Wild Thyme Thymus polytrichus Dry Wild-oat Avena fatua Disturbed

DD – Data Deficient NT – Near Threatened VU - Vulnerable EN - Endangered CR – Critically Endangered EW – Extinct in the Wild Our floral verges 21 Winter-cress Barbarea vulgaris Damp, Disturbed, Wooded, Hedgerow Wood Anemone Anemone nemorosa Wooded, Hedgerow Wood Avens Geum urbanum Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Wood Barley europaeus Hedgerow Wood Bitter-vetch NT Dry, Hedgerow Wood Calamint VU Wooded Wood Crane's-bill Geranium sylvaticum Dry Wood Dock Rumex sanguineus Dry, Disturbed, Wooded, Hedgerow Wood Forget-me-not Myosotis sylvatica Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Wood Horsetail Equisetum sylvaticum Damp Wood Meadow-grass Poa nemoralis Wooded, Hedgerow Wood Melick Melica uniflora Wooded, Hedgerow Wood Millet Milium effusum Wooded Wood Sage Teucrium scorodonia Dry, Wooded, Hedgerow Wood Small-reed Calamagrostis epigejos Damp Wood Speedwell Veronica montana Wooded, Hedgerow Wood Spurge Euphorbia amygdaloides Wooded, Hedgerow Wood Stitchwort Stellaria nemorum Damp, Hedgerow Wood Vetch Vicia sylvatica Wooded, Hedgerow Wood-sedge Carex sylvatica Wooded, Hedgerow Wood-sorrel Oxalis acetosella Wooded, Hedgerow Woodruff Wooded, Hedgerow Woolly Thistle Cirsium eriophorum Dry Wormwood Dry Wych Elm Ulmus glabra Wooded, Hedgerow Yarrow Dry Yarrow Broomrape Orobanche purpurea VU Dry Yellow Archangel Lamiastrum galeobdolon subsp. Wooded, Hedgerow montanum Yellow Bird's-nest Hypopitys monotropa EN Wooded, Hedgerow Yellow Iris Iris pseudacorus Damp, Ditch Yellow Loosestrife Lysimachia vulgaris Ditch Yellow Oat-grass Trisetum flavescens Dry Yellow Pimpernel Lysimachia nemorum Wooded, Hedgerow Yellow Star-of-Bethlehem Gagea lutea Wooded, Hedgerow Yellow Vetchling Lathyrus aphaca VU Dry Yellow-juiced Poppy Papaver lecoqii Disturbed Yellow-rattle Rhinanthus minor Dry Yellow-vetch Vicia lutea NT Dry Yellow-wort Blackstonia perfoliata Dry Yew Taxus baccata Wooded, Hedgerow York Groundsel Senecio eboracensis EW Dry Yorkshire-fog Holcus lanatus Dry, Damp, Wooded, Hedgerow Zigzag Clover Trifolium medium Dry, Damp, Hedgerow

DD – Data Deficient NT – Near Threatened VU - Vulnerable EN - Endangered CR – Critically Endangered EW – Extinct in the Wild Our floral verges 22 Threatened road verge plants The story of loss and destruction of road verge plants is a long one. In 1641 a roadside in West Kent was widened, destroying the first colony of lizard orchid () ever recorded in Great Britain. Proper management Of the 724 species that grow on our verges, 91 (12.6%) are either threatened or of verges is critical if near threatened (data from The Red Data List for Great Britain1). If these species are to we include ditches and hedgerows the avoid extinction figure rises to 97 out of 809 (12%). A few rare species, such as Welsh groundsel (Senecio cambrensis), have long been restricted to just a handful of roadside sites. But for many other more widespread but declining plants, roadside verges are becoming increasingly important as their last refuge. Threatened species such as sulphur clover (Trifolium ochroleucon), crested cow-wheat (Melampyrum cristatum) and wood bitter-vetch (Vicia orobus) were once more frequently found in meadows, pastures and woodlands. As the management of these habitats has changed over the past 60 years, they’ve become increasingly confined to roadside verges. Management of verges is therefore critical if these species are to avoid extinction.

1 http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/pdf/pub05_speciesstatusvpredlist3_web.pdf, with updates

Our floral verges 23 We’ve looked at the occurrence of some threatened and restricted species (see table below) to show what proportion of remaining sites are on verges.

% on % of GB threat Common Name Latin name Comments verges what... category Fen ragwort Senecio paludosus 100 sites CR Only site is a road-side ditch, which is part of a Road Verge Nature Reserve Wood calamint Clinopodium 100 sites VU In and around two laybys along a single- menthifolium track road Welsh groundsel Senecio cambrensis 79 sites NT On disturbed verges, pavements and walls Sulphur clover Trifolium ochroleucon 68 sites VU More sites on grassy verges than meadows Crested cow-wheat Melampyrum cristatum 51 records EN Sites on shaded/wooded road verges and hedgerows Wood bitter-vetch Vicia orobus 48 sites NT Sites on grassy verges and steep roadside banks Tower mustard Turritis glabra 47 sites EN Sites on disturbed grassy and scrubby verges on limestone Lesser calamint Clinopodium 44 sites VU On open, grassy verges. calamintha Spiked rampion Phyteuma spicatum 42 sites EN On damp, shaded hedgerows and road verges beside woodland Bath asparagus Ornithogalum 31 records LC In hedgebanks and along shaded lane pyrenaicum sides and roadside banks Yarrow broomrape Orobanche purpurea 27 sites VU In a variety of open grassy verges Velvet lady’s-mantle Alchemilla monticola 26 records EN In species-rich communities of plants on limestone verges and banks Shining lady’s- Alchemilla micans 22 sites EN In species-rich communities of plants on mantle limestone verges and banks Starry lady’s-mantle Alchemilla acutiloba 21 records VU In species-rich communities of plants on limestone verges and banks Purple-stem cat’s- Phleum phleoides 20 sites LC On well-drained sandy and chalky soil tail with open vegetation Man orchid Orchis anthropophora 18 sites EN In species-rich communities of plants on chalk and limestone verges and banks Grape-hyacinth Muscari neglectum 17 records VU On well-drained sandy and chalky soil with open vegetation Lizard orchid Himantoglossum 17 records NT On calcareous verges with sometimes hircinum quite unremarkable vegetation Spanish catchfly Silene otites 10 records EN On well-drained sandy and chalky soil with open vegetation Meadow clary Salvia pratensis 4 records NT In species-rich communities of plants on chalk and limestone verges and banks

DD – Data Deficient NT – Near Threatened VU - Vulnerable EN - Endangered CR – Critically Endangered EW – Extinct in the Wild Our floral verges 24 Top threatened10 plants growing on Here is our Top 10 list road of threatened plants verges growing on road verges

Fen ragwort 1 (Senecio paludosus) Threat status: Critically Endangered.

This has always been one of Britain’s rarest plants. Fen ragwort is a plant of the wet, lime-rich fens of East Anglia and at one time it grew in scattered locations through Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Spiked rampion Norfolk and Suffolk. Drainage of many fenland sites 2 (Phyteuma spicatum) led to its demise, though, and today the final native site is an unprepossessing roadside drainage ditch Threat status: Endangered. beside the A142 near Ely in Cambridgeshire. An elegant woodland plant, spiked rampion carries This ditch is home to just a single plant. Despite its beautiful greenish white flowers on tall stems its designation as a Road Verge Nature Reserve in April and May. It makes its home in coppiced to afford it some protection, this poor plant is woodland in Sussex, where its feet can get down still often buried in plastic cups from a nearby into damp, clayey soil and plants can revel in the burger van and has survived at least one burning dappled light. car landing on top of it. In an effort to rescue the species, from this plant has been grown and As recently as 1945 one report described woodland reintroduced to several former fenland sites, and floors in the county ‘carpeted’ with spiked rampion. has survived for over 20 years at one of them. However, coppicing is rarely practised these days and, as canopies have closed over and woodlands have become overgrown and neglected, it has disappeared from many locations.

Today, it’s restricted to just eight sites, mostly woodlands with a scattering of plants along the edges of paths and rides. But by far the largest population is along several wooded lanes in mid Sussex, where it grows in the road verges and along the hedgerows. Three quarters of spiked rampion plants in Britain grow here, with nearly 150 plants in some years. Surprisingly, despite their importance, these verges receive no special protection.

Our floral verges 25 Crested cow-wheat 3 (Melampyrum cristatum) Threat status: Endangered.

A remarkable semi-parasitic plant whose tap into those of plants growing around it to steal nutrients and water. It grows in the warm, dappled sunlight of woodland rides, woodland edges and hedgebanks in eastern England. However, since we no longer manage our woodlands traditionally for timber, canopies have closed over and populations have been lost.

Crested cow-wheat is now extinct in seven counties. Where roads cut through woodland, though, the dappled light is maintained on the verges. Half of all remaining crested cow- wheat populations grow in such situations. Indeed, some of the largest populations are on road verges, such as the 2,735 flowering spikes counted along a 70m stretch of Road Verge Nature Reserve in Cambridgeshire. Not all are safe, though. Plants in another Road Verge Nature Reserve in Huntingdonshire were mown down, despite clear labelling of the site as a roadside reserve.

Tower mustard 4 (Turritis glabra) Threat status: Endangered.

Once found at many scattered locations throughout England, the blue-green of this tall and dramatic plant show that it’s a type of cabbage. It grows on well-drained, lime-rich soil and likes grassy places where the soil has been disturbed; Velvet Lady’s-mantle a lack of this disturbance is the main reason 5 (Alchemilla monticola) it’s been lost from so many sites. Nearly half of the remaining 30 or so sites are now on road Threat status: Endangered. verges, including the M50 near Bromsberrow in Gloucestershire, the Thetford Bypass in Suffolk, and Lady’s-mantles are small with frothy green a road verge near Kingsley in Hampshire where up flowers. Their rounded leaves often collect rain to 150 plants have been sighted following clearance water, which was considered by alchemists to be so of brambles and scrub by the County Council. pure it could be used it in their experiments to turn base metals into gold, hence the name Alchemilla, meaning ‘little alchemist’.

In northern England, six very rare and closely- related species grow in upland hay meadows and -rich pasture where limestone rocks come to the surface. Conversion of these habitats to intensively farmed silage and pastures mean the lady’s-mantles are increasingly restricted to roadside verges. Over a quarter of all sightings of velvet lady’s-mantles, one of the species that has suffered the most, now come from roadside verges.

Our floral verges 26 Yarrow broomrape 6 (Orobanche purpurea) Threat status: Vulnerable.

This remarkable annual plant is parasitic on the roots of yarrow (Achillea millefolium), with only the spike of purple flowers ever appearing above ground. Underground, the plant taps into the roots of the yarrow, gaining all its nutrient and water from its host.

Given that yarrow is one of our commonest wild flowers, the broomrape is inexplicably rare, with Sulphur clover only around 40 sites currently known in Britain. 7 (Trifolium ochroleucon) It grows in a wide range of grassy habitats – often on cliff tops and steep banks – and 28% of sites Threat status: Vulnerable. are roadside verges. Some of these, such as that Arreton on the Isle of Wight, can support dozens This beautiful, creamy-yellow clover was once of plants, but most are small with just a handful of a feature of grassy pastures in eastern England, flower spikes. While seed is thought to be long-lived, where it grew on soils of chalky boulder clay. repeated early cutting of verges will eventually lead However, these areas of Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and to its demise if plants are not allowed to set seed. Cambridgeshire have perhaps suffered some of the worst vagaries of agricultural intensification.

Ploughing of most pasture for arable cropping and conversion of the rest to silage production, means that sulphur clover is now literally pushed to the edge, found mostly on narrow strips and slithers of road verge grassland. Over two thirds (68%) of remaining sites are on verges. Even here it’s not safe, with a lack of cutting leading to scrub encroachment and other sites destroyed by road widening and re-routing schemes. In a bizarre twist of fate, seed from some of these relic road verge populations are now being used to create new wild flower meadows on farmland.

Wood calamint 8 (Clinopodium menthifolium) Threat status: Vulnerable.

Another very rare plant, wood calamint grows in a single valley on the Isle of Wight, where it once grew luxuriantly through and around coppiced woodlands and thickets of scrub on the chalk. Today, the landscape is intensively farmed, and the few fragmented that survive are no longer coppiced. As a result, their canopies have closed over. Wood calamint can’t grow in the dense shade and the only remaining plants are found along a narrow road bordering the wood, where it grows in dappled shade on the verge and in several lay-bys. Here, however, positive conservation management has brought it back from the brink: the population has risen from five clumps in the late 1950s to nearly 2,000 flowering in 2012.

Our floral verges 27 Welsh groundsel 9 (Senecio cambrensis) Threat status: Near Threatened.

Found nowhere else in the world, the endemic Welsh groundsel was first discovered in 1948 on a roadside near Ffrith, near Wrexham. It appears to have evolved as a new species from a hybrid that arose when groundsel (Senecio vulgaris) crossed with Oxford ragwort (Senecio squalidus). The result looks like groundsel on steroids – a larger plant with bigger, brighter flowers.

Welsh groundsel grows on the disturbed edges of road verges, pavement cracks and in walls. Of the 19 currently-known sites, 15 (79%) are on roadside verges; it’s especially abundant along the A5 and B5070 between Chirk and Llangollen. It has suffered from verge cutting on the A5152 from Wrexham to Rhostyllen and may recently have become extinct in Mochdre (Conwy) due to a roadside development.

Wood bitter-vetch 10 (Vicia orobus) Threat status: Near Threatened.

In England and Wales, this beautiful bushy vetch was once frequent in pastures and hay meadows. Indeed, one famous botanist in mid Wales commented in 1924 that a ‘...pasture field was gaily carpeted with wood bitter-vetch, acres of it...’

Sadly, such a spectacle cannot be enjoyed today. Wood bitter- vetch is very sensitive to the right level of grazing, with both overgrazing (especially by sheep) and under-grazing (leading to scrub encroachment) leading to its demise, and it cannot survive in modern intensive silage fields.

Now it’s a plant of grassy road verges, rocky roadside banks and roadside walls, where 48% of remaining sites in England and Wales can be found. Some of these are home to huge populations, such as the 60m stretch of verge near Cerrigydrudion in Denbighshire with over 100 plants. But road verge plants aren’t safe; many were mown for example on a verge near Tafarn-y-bwlch in Pembrokeshire, despite it being designated a Road Verge Nature Reserve.

Our floral verges 28 Plantlife Brewery House We are Plantlife 36 Milford Street For over 25 years, Plantlife has had a single ideal - Salisbury to save and celebrate wild flowers, plants and fungi. Wiltshire SP1 2AP Tel: 01722 342730 They are the life support for all our wildlife and their Plantlife Scotland, Stirling colour and character light up our landscapes. But Tel: 01786 478509 without our help, this priceless natural heritage is in Plantlife Cymru, Cardiff danger of being lost. Tel: 02920 376193 Email: [email protected] From the open spaces of our nature reserves to the corridors of government, we work nationally and www.plantlife.org.uk internationally to raise their profile, celebrate their Plantlife is a charitable company limited by guarantee, beauty and to protect their future. Company No.3166339. Registered in England and Wales, Charity No.1059559. Registered in Scotland, Charity No. SCO38951. HRH The Prince of Wales is our Patron © Plantlife, April 2017 Design: evansgraphic.co.uk