Glossary links done & added to Big Glossary. IUCN table dSalviaone. pratensis Meadow clary, Clari’r maes LAMIACEAE SYN.: none Status: Schedule 8 of the Wildlife and Status in Europe: Not threatened Countryside Act 1981 Red Data Book: Lower risk - Nationally 38 (20 native or possibly native) / 233 10-km Scarce squares post 1987 Contents Status:...............................................................................................................1 1 Morphology, Identification, Taxonomy & Genetics................................................2 1.1 Morphology & Identification ........................................................................2 1.2 Taxonomic considerations ..........................................................................2 1.3 Genetic studies .........................................................................................2 2 Distribution and current status .........................................................................3 2.1 World ......................................................................................................4 2.2 Europe ....................................................................................................4 2.3 United Kingdom ........................................................................................6 2.3.1. England......................................................................................... 11 2.3.2. Scotland........................................................................................ 12 2.3.3. Northern Ireland............................................................................. 12 2.3.4. Wales............................................................................................ 12 3 Ecology & Life Cycle...................................................................................... 12 4 Habitat Requirements ................................................................................... 16 4.1 Landscape perspective: Habitats where Salvia pratensis occurs ..................... 16 4.2 Communities & Vegetation ....................................................................... 17 4.3 Summary of habitat requirements ............................................................. 18 5 Management Implications .............................................................................. 19 6 Threats/ Factors leading to loss or decline or limiting recovery ............................ 22 7 Current Conservation Measures ...................................................................... 23 7.1 In Situ Measures.................................................................................... 23 7.2 Ex-Situ Measures ................................................................................... 26 7.3 Research Data ........................................................................................ 26 7.4 Monitoring Salvia pratensis and the common monitoring standard.................. 26 8 References .................................................................................................. 26 9 Acknowledgements ....................................................................................... 28 10 Contacts................................................................................................... 28 11 Links........................................................................................................ 29 12 Annex 1 - Holly Court Bank Monitoring Form 2002.......................................... 29 1 1 Morphology, Identification, Taxonomy & Genetics 1.1 MORPHOLOGY & IDENTIFICATION Salvia pratensis is a long-lived, erect perennial herb up to 80cm tall, glandular above; leaves ovate or ovate-oblong, cordate at base, doubly serrate; bracts small, green or tinged purplish; corolla 15-30mm in bisexual flowers, down to 10mm in female flowers, violet-blue. Native; calcareous grassland, scrub and wood-borders. Very local in c. 12 places in Southern England from East Kent to West Gloucs; Mons; naturalised elsewhere in central & southern Britain (Stace, 1991). Salvia pratensis is a striking and easily recognisable member of the Lamiaceae. The only native plant with which it could be confused is Salvia verbenaca, wild clary. The two are differentiated as follows: Bracts green, often tinged violet-blue, much shorter than Salvia pratensis flowers. Longest hairs on calyx white, eglandular; corolla with 0 or few Salvia verbenaca glandular hairs; lower leaves often distinctly lobed. Longest hairs on calyx brownish, glandular; corolla with many Salvia pratensis glandular hairs; leaves at most strongly doubly serrate. Hybrids between the two have been reported from France but not the UK. Figure 1 – Close up of Salvia pratensis flower (Photograph by Tim Rich, 1995). 1.2 TAXONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS None. 1.3 GENETIC STUDIES Some genetic studies have been carried out on Salvia pratensis in the UK (Kay and John, 1995). Additionally the genetics of 32 plant species of lowland grassland in Wales were studied, including Salvia pratensis. Six enzyme systems were studied using electrophoresis. Nine loci were found, of which five were polymorphic and four homozygous. The pattern of heterozygosity was variable and unexpected, suggesting that recombination might be restricted by a degree of structural heterozygosity. Kay and John found a strong correlation between geographic location and genetic identity, and 2 there was a suggestion of a cline of decreasing genetic variability from east to west, with the Monmouthshire population having least variation. Genetic studies on 14 Salvia pratensis populations in the Netherlands found 11 polymorphic loci, and a significant positive correlation was found between population size and both the proportion of polymorphic loci and the average number of alleles observed per locus (Van Treuren et al, 1991). Another study on Dutch Salvia pratensis populations showed a significant positive correlation between phenotypic variation and population size (Ouborg et al, 1991). From this it was inferred that genetic erosion had caused allozyme loss in small populations (Bijlsma et al, 1991 & 1994). Gene flow between populations in the Netherlands was found to be zero or very low (Van Treuren et al, 1991). In order to establish whether the genetic erosion and hence allozyme loss observed was threatening the viability of small populations of Salvia pratensis, a further study examined the relationship between population size and genetic fitness in a number of Salvia pratensis populations in the Netherlands (Ouborg & Van Treuren, 1995). Four populations from the previous studies were examined, and a number of fitness components compared in a common garden experiment. Seed size, germination rates, plant growth and reproductive success were compared between the four populations. The study showed that there was no correlation between population size and any of the fitness traits, although these did vary significantly between populations. The authors concluded that the differences were mainly maternal effects and not genetic. They did raise a note of caution suggesting that although low allozyme diversity in small populations was not currently causing any loss of fitness, this may be because these populations had only recently become small and were therefore at an early stage in the genetic erosion process. They postulated that progressive genetic erosion could lead to increased loss of alleles, increased homozygosity and hence a loss of fitness in the future. Miles King and Plantlife International’s field volunteers known as Flora Guardians collected samples of Salvia pratensis from all available English and Welsh populations in 2001, 2002 and 2003 (Wheeler, 2001; King, 2002). Dr Johannes Vogel at the Natural History Museum in London will investigate the allozyme diversity of these samples of Salvia pratensis from the UK and compare it with that of material from a number of locations in continental Europe. Dr Vogel and his team initially analysed variation across 18 enzymes in one population of Salvia pratensis. They found five enzymes with two or three alleles, and another two enzymes that may contain more than one allele. Given that these results were from just one population, Dr Vogel is confident that it will be possible to build up a comprehensive picture of variation across the UK once material from as many sources as possible has been collected and analysed. 2 Distribution and current status CLIMATIC AND TOPOGRAPHIC LIMITATIONS TO DISTRIBUTION. Salvia pratensis occurs in Britain at the North Western edge of its European range. As a temperate species, it can be expected to cope with hard winters, but also requires warm dry summers, and may have difficulties in very wet years and particularly in wet winters. It favours south or west facing slopes and now only occurs as a probable native as far north as the north Cotswolds (Chipping Campden) and as far west as Monmouthshire. Records from further north, and into the wetter southwest, do not indicate any great length of persistence following introduction, presumably as a hay or grass-seed contaminant. It is interesting to note though that one site, at Rauceby in Lincolnshire, did support a population of two large plants between 1937 and 1951. It can occur in (sub) alpine meadows to 1920m, suggesting that it is well adapted to cold, and to long winters. Perhaps the poor survival of seedlings through wet winters determines how far north and west in Europe Salvia pratensis can occur naturally. 3 2.1