Filago pyramidata L.

Broad-leaved Cudweed

Status Endangered UK BAP Priority Species since 1998 Schedule 8 Wildlife & Countryside Act Lead partner: Plantlife International 16 10km squares post 1986

UK Biodiversity Action Plan Proposed targets following the 2005 Targets Review:

T1 - Maintain viable populations of this species at all extant sites. T2 - Establish two metapopulations by 2010.

Progress on targets as reported in the UKBAP 2002 reporting round can be viewed online at: http://www.ukbap.org.uk/2002OnlineReport/mainframe.htm

The full Action Plan for pyramidata can be viewed on the following web site: http://www.ukbap.org.uk/UKPlans.aspx?ID=304

Contents 1 Morphology, Identification, & Genetics...... 2 1.1 Morphology & Identification ...... 2 1.2 Taxonomic Considerations ...... 4 1.3 Genetic Implications ...... 4 2 Distribution & Current Status ...... 4 2.1 World ...... 4 2.2 Europe ...... 4 2.3 United Kingdom ...... 5 2.3.1 England ...... 6 2.3.2 Northern Ireland...... 8 2.3.3 Scotland...... 8 2.3.4 Wales ...... 8

Work on is supported by:

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3 Ecology & Life Cycle...... 8 4 Habitat Requirements ...... 9 4.1 The Landscape Perspective...... 9 4.2 Communities & Vegetation ...... 10 4.3 Summary of Habitat Requirements ...... 11 5 Management Implications ...... 12 6 Threats / Factors Leading to Loss or Decline or Limiting Recovery...... 12 7 Current Conservation Measures ...... 13 7.1 In Situ Measures...... 13 7.2 Ex Situ Measures ...... 14 7.3 Research Data ...... 14 7.4 Monitoring Filago pyramidata & the Common Monitoring Standard ...... 14 8 References ...... 14 9 Acknowledgments...... 16 10 Contacts...... 16 11 Links...... 16

1 Morphology, Identification, Taxonomy & Genetics

1.1 MORPHOLOGY & IDENTIFICATION Broad-leaved Cudweed Filago pyramidata (see Figures 1, 2 & 3) is a short-lived annual herb with a slender taproot and from one to several decumbent or ascending flowering stems up to 40cm long. All stems are branched above, frequently with branches below the terminal inflorescence on the main stem. Size varies greatly depending on soil type. On the poorest soils, may have single stems as little as a few mm high. Leaves of seedlings and young plants before flowering are in a basal rosette, which dies off as the flowering stems develop. Stem leaves are 3-4mm wide and up to 20mm long. The shape of these is characteristically spathulate, entire, with slightly undulate margins. The stems and leaves are covered with a dense felt of short greyish-white hairs.

The flower heads are up to 12mm in diameter, each containing up to 20 capitula of approximately 5mm length. Three to five subtending leaves usually overtop these. The smallest plants can have just a single capitulum. Each capitulum contains a number of tiny florets, with 4-7 hermaphrodite florets in the centre of each, the rest being female. Each capitulum has overlapping rows of 4-6 scarious, cuspidate bracts (“phyllaries”), extended into yellowish awns. There are no obvious petals.

Each flower produces a single achene of approximately 0.6mm in length. Those produced by the outermost florets have a pappus longer than the seed (Clapham et al, 1987).

This species can be easily confused with the related Common Cudweed and Red-tipped Cudweed Filago lutescens. Red-tipped Cudweed has claret-red tipped phyllaries and parallel-sided, pointed leaves. Common Cudweed has only 2-3 hermaphrodite florets in the centre of each capitulum, and lanceolate leaves with strongly undulate margins (Rich & Jermy, 1998; Wilson & King, 2003).

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Figure 1 – Line drawing of Filago pyramidata (Drawing by Fred Rumsey).

Figure 2 – Filago pyramidata (© Plantlife).

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Figure 3 – Filago pyramidata (© Plantlife).

1.2 TAXONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS None.

1.3 GENETIC IMPLICATIONS No studies on genetic diversity within this species have been carried out. Such a study would be desirable to elucidate relationships between populations.

2 Distribution & Current Status

2.1 WORLD Filago pyramidata occurs in West Asia, North Africa and the Canary Islands (Clapham et al, 1987).

2.2 EUROPE Filago pyramidata is found in south and west Europe, northwards to East England and the Netherlands and eastwards to Bulgaria and the Crimea (Clapham et al, 1987; Table 1). There are two records for Filago pyramidata as a casual from the Channel Islands in 1881 and 1910. Filago pyramidata has never been recorded in Ireland.

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Table 1 - Country by country status of Filago pyramidata across Europe. IUCN COUNTRY* STATUS NOTES SOURCE(S) LISTING AL ALBANIA Present but status not known Tutin et al (1976) AZ AZORES ? present Tutin et al (1976) BE BELGIUM WITH LUXEMBOURG Present but status not known Tutin et al (1976) BL ISLAS BALEARES Present but status not known Tutin et al (1976) BR BRITAIN EN Declined in response to Wigginton (1999) INCL ORKNEY, ZETLAND & arable intensification over the ISLE OF MAN first half of 20th century. Now restricted to just 9 sites. BU BULGARIA Present but status not known Tutin et al (1976) CO CORSE Present but status not known Tutin et al (1976) CR KRITI Present but status not known Tutin et al (1976) WITH GAVDHOS, KARPATHOS & KASOS GA FRANCE Not listed Olivier et al (1995) GE GERMANY Present but status not known Tutin et al (1976) GR GREECE Not listed Phitos et al (1995) EXCL. KRITI & ISLANDS OUTSIDE EUROPE HE SWITZERLAND Present but status not known Tutin et al (1976) HO NETHERLANDS Present but status not known Tutin et al (1976) HS SPAIN Not listed Lozano (2000) WITH GIBRALTAR & ANDORRA, EXCL BL IT ITALY Not listed Conti et al (1997) JU YUGOSLAVIA SERBIA Not critically endangered Stevanović (1999) LU PORTUGAL Present but status not known Tutin et al (1976) RS(K) KRYM (CRIMEA) Present but status not known Tutin et al (1976) SA SARDEGNA Present but status not known Tutin et al (1976) SI SICILIA Present but status not known Tutin et al (1976) TU TURKEY Present but status not known Tutin et al (1976) *Country codes are taken from Flora Europaea as of 1964 with red data book listings where available [Definitions of the red list categories].

2.3 UNITED KINGDOM OVERVIEW Filago pyramidata has never been a widespread or common species in Britain, and its past distribution may have been partly obscured by confusion with other closely related species. Before 1970 it was recorded in 114 10km squares (Preston et al, 2002), while between 1987 and 1999 it was only recorded in 16 10km squares. It is now known in only nine sites in nine 10km squares (see Figure 4). While this appears to be a massive decline, some caution must be observed in the interpretation of these figures, as this is a species with a history of erratic appearance at many localities. There have never been more than 32 records for this species from any decade (Rich, 1995).

It is always difficult to interpret past distributions from herbarium and published records. Common plants will be relatively under-collected, while rare species will be over-collected. The frequency of multiple collections from the same sites suggests that it may have been less abundant in the past than the distribution maps indicate. The great majority of losses from vice-counties occurred in the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century (Wilson, 5

1999), but losses from within its range have continued to the present day. Nevertheless this species does appear to have been lost from many parts of its range, including some of its historic strongholds and, in terms of 10km squares, the current area occupied by this species is only 8% of its total historic area, with several of the remaining populations being very small.

Figure 4 – UK distribution of Filago pyramidata.

It is ranked as the species with 96th highest negative change index between 1930-1969 and 1987-1999 (I = -1.14) in the New Atlas of the British Flora (Preston et al, 2002). It is an Endangered species (Wigginton, 1998); it is listed on Schedule 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and is included on the priority list of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK Biodiversity Steering Group, 1995).

2.3.1 ENGLAND (Based on English Nature’s natural areas) 6

Filago pyramidata appears to have declined considerably in England during the 20th century. There is, however, some potential for recovery from the seed-bank, which is thought to be long-lived (Wilson, 1990), although attempts to regenerate populations from the seed-bank have not proven very successful (Wilson, 2002).

Currently, Filago pyramidata is widely (though scarcely) dispersed over the chalk and Jurassic limestone of South-eastern England and East Anglia. Its former range was concentrated on the North Downs of Kent and Surrey and on the East Anglian Chalk in South-east Cambridgeshire, and there are still isolated sites in these areas (Table 2). There have been scattered records from as far north as Yorkshire and as far west as Cornwall, and it also occurred on nutrient-poor, acidic, sandy soils as well as calcareous soils, where it sometimes grew alongside the closely related Filago lutescens.

Table 2 - Present & former distribution of Filago pyramidata in England by vice-county (Wilson, 2002). Filago pyramidata is still extant in vice-counties highlighted in bold. EXTANT EXTINCT V-C % DATE & PLACE(S) OF LAST VICE-COUNTY SITES SITES NO. DECLINE RECORD (1990+) 2 East Cornwall 0 1 100 1912 Charlestown (casual record). (1960 Minver Hill record: misidentification.) 6 North Somerset The 1985 Axbridge record was a misidentification. 9 Dorset 0 9 100 1902 Weymouth 10 Isle of Wight 0 20 100 1947 Alverstone 11 South Hampshire 0 7 100 1965 Ashley 12 North Hampshire 0 5 100 1974 West Down Chilbolton 13 West Sussex 1 8 87 2003 Halnaker Pit 14 East Sussex 0 7 100 1907 Telscombe 15 East Kent 0 14 100 1893 Near Sandwich 16 West Kent 1 11 91 2003 Ranscombe Farm, Cuxton 17 Surrey 2 27 93 2003 Banstead Downs 18 South Essex 2 4 75 2003 Brickbarn Wood - Thurrock, Arena Essex - Thurrock 19 North Essex 0 9 100 1974 Colchester 20 Hertfordshire 0 14 100 1958 Cock Lane Rubbish Tip (casual) 21 Middlesex 0 6 100 1891 Littleton 22 Berkshire 1 15 97 2003 Buckland Warren 23 Oxfordshire 1 12 92 2003 Sonning Chalk Pit 24 Buckinghamshire 0 7 100 1950 Taplow Station 25/2 Suffolk 0 16 100 1954 Bury St Edmunds 6 27 East Norfolk 0 11 100 1948 Frettenham Gravel Pit 28 West Norfolk 0 9 100 1967 Swanton Novers 29 Cambridgeshire 2 >42 95 2002 Pampisford 30 Bedfordshire 0 2 100 1882 Flitwick

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EXTANT EXTINCT V-C % DATE & PLACE(S) OF LAST VICE-COUNTY SITES SITES NO. DECLINE RECORD (1990+) 34 West 0 1 100 1863 Lancaut Gloucestershire 53 South Lincolnshire 0 2 100 1882 Corby 55 Leicestershire 0 1 100 ? Twycross 61 South-east Yorkshire 0 1 100 1925 Filey *Numerous records for Cambridgeshire, but difficult to determine how many sites.

2.3.2 NORTHERN IRELAND No records.

2.3.3 SCOTLAND Filago pyramidata is extinct in Scotland (Table 3). All occurrences may have been casual only.

Table 3 - Former distribution of Filago pyramidata in Scotland by vice-county (Wilson, 2002). EXTANT EXTINCT V-C VICE- % SITES SITES DATE & PLACE(S) OF LAST RECORD NO. COUNTY DECLINE (1987+) 77 Lanarkshire 0 1 100 1921 Near Glasgow 81 Berwickshire 0 1 100 1961 Chirnside Paper Mill (casual) 83 Midlothian 0 3 100 1916 Levenhall

2.3.4 WALES No records.

3 Ecology & Life Cycle There is little existing information on the ecology of Filago pyramidata, although it was included in studies of the ecology of a range of arable annuals aimed at providing information for management of these species (Wilson, 1990).

Filago pyramidata is an annual. Seedlings germinate both in autumn and spring (Wilson, 1990), although at many sites seedlings have not been seen in the winter, possibly as a result of their very small size. No information is available on seed ecology or physiology, but it is likely that seeds shed from the in the autumn are capable of germination if sufficient moisture is available. Ability to germinate decreases with decreasing winter temperatures, and the seeds become dormant until temperatures rise again in the spring. Seeds may remain able to germinate through the summer, but germination is limited by availability of moisture. In a study of germination periodicity, seeds were still germinating in good numbers after two and a half years, therefore it is likely that Filago pyramidata has a long-lived seed-bank (Wilson, 1990). This is an important adaptation for a plant that lives in a habitat that is not always in a suitable condition. Seeds bear pappus hairs, which probably aid in dispersal by wind.

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After seedlings germinate, they form rosettes of leaves. These rosettes begin to produce flowering stems in late June, and flowering usually starts in early July. Most flowering is over by the beginning of September, although some flowering can continue into November. Plants die in the autumn after flowering.

Filago species appear to be palatable to most grazing animals. Rabbits can be a problem at some sites. Secondary flowering stems can be produced after grazing.

In terms of established strategy (Grime et al, 1988), Filago pyramidata is probably best classified as a stress-tolerant, ruderal species. Nothing is known about mycorrhizal associates.

4 Habitat Requirements

4.1 THE LANDSCAPE PERSPECTIVE Filago pyramidata is typically a species of disturbed sites, although these may be found in a variety of situations. In the past, more than half of the populations were on arable land, where it would have occurred in the species-rich vegetation that would have flourished under the relatively low-intensity farming regimes, particularly in the field margins. Many populations were also known from roads and tracks, where they would have found suitable conditions on unmetalled road surfaces. Other populations were recorded from disturbed ground in a variety of situations including heath land, quarries and railways (Table 4).

This situation has now changed considerably. Only one of the 11 current sites and sub-sites where Filago pyramidata occurs is now on arable land. This is the remarkable group of fields at Plantlife International’s new nature reserve at Ranscombe Farm, Cuxton in North Kent where it is part of an assemblage of rare species. The other two sites that have been arable in recent years are now part of a golf course and horse gallops. The majority of populations are now in the bottoms of worked-out chalk quarries and on chalk spoil where this species finds suitable conditions on the compacted, seasonally-wet, nutrient-poor, skeletal soils. Conditions are similar where this species still occurs beside roads and tracks. The two roadside populations in South Essex are on the verges of major ‘A’ roads.

In the past, Filago pyramidata was recorded not only on chalky soils but also on disturbed acidic sandy soils. It was frequently associated with other Filago species at these sites. No soil analysis has been carried out but, of the nine remaining sites, five are on what appear to be skeletal soils over compacted chalk spoil, two are on chalky soils with superficial deposits of sandy boulder clay, and one is on calcareous Jurassic sands. At only one site are the soils derived from freely draining sands and gravels, and even here these overlie the chalk and calcicolous vegetation is present nearby. At most sites, soils are compacted, and at many there appears to be some water-retention in the winter. In general, conditions tend to inhibit rapid succession to closed grassland or scrub, and this is a major factor in maintaining suitable habitat conditions.

Table 4 - Percentage of all historic and current sites for Filago pyramidata recorded in different habitats. HABITAT TYPE % OF HISTORIC SITES % OF SITES 1990-2003 Arable 52.7 27* Tracksides 17.6 27 Heath and common 10.2 9

Quarries and pits 6.1 45 Woodland rides 3.8 Railways 3.1 Waste ground 6.9 Garden 0.8 *This is the only site that is arable.

Sites are invariably well illuminated. There is generally little shade and they are exposed to sunlight from the south. This suggests either that the plants themselves are light demanding or that relatively high temperatures are required for seed ripening. Exposure to sun may also be a factor in increasing the susceptibility of the site to drought and reducing the competitive pressure from other plants.

4.2 COMMUNITIES & VEGETATION No detailed phytosociological analysis of vegetation containing Filago pyramidata has been carried out. Quadrats collected from sites at Thurrock, Halnaker and Cuxton were analysed using Match (Malloch, 1996).

The vegetation in the arable fields on Plantlife International’s new Ranscombe Farm nature reserve at Cuxton gave a poor correspondence to the National Vegetation Classification (NVC) type OV15b Anagallis arvensis-Veronica persica community, Legousia hybrida- Chaenorhinum minus sub-community, a community typical of the richest arable sites on the chalk of southeast England. These fields also have a number of other rare species including Rough Marsh-mallow Althaea hirsuta, Ground-pine Ajuga chamaepitys and Corncockle Agrostemma githago. The overall condition of these fields is currently poor, although Filago pyramidata is thriving.

Halnaker Chalk Pit is typical of the chalk quarry sites. The vegetation here corresponds poorly to CG7c Festuca ovina-Thymus praecox-Hieracium pilosella grassland, Ditrichum flexicaule-Diploschistes muscorum sub-community, late-successional grassland on disturbed chalk sites with skeletal soils. This is rare lichen-rich grassland largely confined to East Anglia, so it is better to regard these pioneer stands just as a type of CG7. It is fragmentary, dominated by Creeping Bent Agrostis stolonifera, with abundant annuals and pauciennials including Lesser Centaury Centaurium pulchellum, Common Centaury Centaurium erythraea, Viper’s-bugloss Echium vulgare, Greater Plantain Plantago major, Scarlet Pimpernel Anagallis arvensis, Perforate St. John’s-wort Hypericum perforatum, Thyme-leaved Sandwort Arenaria serpyllifolia, Spear Thistle Cirsium vulgare, and clonal foraging herbs including Silverweed Potentilla anserina and Ground-ivy Glechoma hederacea. A few plants of established calcicolous grassland species including Wild Thyme Thymus praecox, Salad Burnet Sanguisorba minor, Crested Hair-grass Koeleria macrantha and the moss Homalothecium lutescens are also present and it is likely that, given freedom from disturbance, succession would proceed through CG7 to CG2a and eventually W21c scrub and W8 woodland. This process has occurred at Banstead Downs, where open conditions on the chalk spoil piles are maintained by regular manual clearance. The major invasive species at West Clandon chalk pit is Butterfly bush Buddleia davidii. Other rare species, including Wild Candytuft Iberis amara, Fine-leaved Sandwort Minuartia hybrida and Early Gentian Gentianella anglica, also occur at chalk quarry sites.

Vegetation in the large sand quarry at Thurrock also corresponds best to CG7c, but lacks many of the calcicolous species present at other sites. Abundant associates include Smooth Hawk’s-beard Crepis capillaris, Scarlet Pimpernel Anagallis arvensis, Common Centaury Centaurium erythraea, Perforate St. John’s-wort Hypericum perforatum, Black Medick 10

Medicago lupulina, Creeping Cinquefoil Potentilla reptans, Common Ragwort Senecio jacobaea, Common Cudweed Filago vulgaris and Ploughman’s-spikenard Inula conyzae. Bramble Rubus fruticosus agg. and Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna are invasive here.

Generally, vegetation at Filago pyramidata sites is fragmentary, with much exposed soil. The majority of species have a ruderal strategy, including clonal herbs (Creeping Bent Agrostis stolonifera, Black Medick Medicago lupulina, Ground-ivy Glechoma hederacea, Silverweed Potentilla anserina, Creeping Cinquefoil Potentilla reptans, Creeping Buttercup Ranunculus repens), annuals (Greater Plantain Plantago major, Scarlet Pimpernel Anagallis arvensis, Smooth Hawk’s-beard Crepis capillaris, Common Centaury Centaurium erythraea, Lesser Centaury Centaurium pulchellum, Thyme-leaved sandwort Arenaria serpyllifolia) and pauciennials (Viper’s-bugloss Echium vulgare, Perforate St John’s-wort Hypericum perforatum, Common Ragwort Senecio jacobaea, Ploughman’s-spikenard Inula conyzae, Spear Thistle Cirsium vulgare). There are usually scattered plants of perennial species indicating a succession to closed grasslands, and frequently tree and scrub seedlings.

4.3 SUMMARY OF HABITAT REQUIREMENTS Wide ranges of habitat features are important to Filago pyramidata across Britain (Table 5).

Table 5 - Habitat features important to Filago pyramidata in Britain. TYPE DESCRIPTION Physical and Lowlands. topographical Soils are skeletal, developed over disturbed substrata. Drainage is generally free, but can be impeded at some sites. Sites are generally flat or gently sloping to the south and west. Sites are unshaded. Vegetational Filago pyramidata occurs in open vegetation with abundant exposed and structural soil. Vegetation is typical of recently disturbed sites on nutrient-poor soils. Processes Filago pyramidata needs exposed soil for germination and also for growth to seed production, as it is a very poorly competitive species. This disturbance is created largely by human activity (ploughing, quarrying, vehicles), but its effects can be perpetuated by erosion and rabbit activity. It appears to be palatable to herbivores including rabbits. Chemical Soils are deficient in macronutrients, derived largely from chalk, but also from both calcareous and acidic sands and gravels.

Filago pyramidata has many features in common with other annual species of disturbed land. Some of these are also included in Plantlife International’s Back from the Brink (species recovery) programme and are listed on the Priority List of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (Anon, 1998). These include Ground-pine Ajuga chamaepitys, Rough Marsh- mallow Althaea hirsuta and Red-tipped Cudweed Filago lutescens.

Filago pyramidata is a short-lived species that has relatively simple requirements. It needs to produce seed regularly and requires gaps in the vegetation not only for its seedlings to establish but also, due to its poor competitive ability, to grow and produce seed. The seeds germinate readily, given sufficient water, and need no special treatment. It appears to have a long-lived seed-bank, which enables it to survive periods of adverse conditions.

In essence, Filago pyramidata needs a nutrient-poor, drought-prone soil on which vegetation cover develops slowly. This should be subject to occasional disturbance to 11

expose soil and buried seed. The majority of seeds are produced by early September. This has implications for the times at which sites should be managed.

Factors that have maintained sites in suitable condition in the absence of specific conservation management include soil erosion, rabbit digging and grazing, quarrying and chance disturbance by vehicles. Where conservation management has been necessary, successful measures have included scrub clearance and intensive vegetation control. None of the sites are currently grazed by farm stock.

5 Management Implications Management varies between sites. At many sites, there has been little management in recent years although, because of the nutrient-poor soils, the development of closed grassland and invasive scrub is slow.

General recommendations for the management of Filago pyramidata can be made, but in view of the diversity of sites, each population will have different requirements.

Many sites require little management, soils being very nutrient-poor and succession to closed grassland or scrub being very slow.

Where necessary, open soil conditions should be restored and maintained, either as part of a programme of radical vegetation clearance or by surface rotovation. This should be carried out before the end of January. No more than a half of the site should be cultivated each year. Excessive disturbance, particularly during the summer, should be avoided.

Occasional scrub clearance may be needed. In particular, overhanging vegetation and vegetation that shades the site to the south should be removed.

Rabbit control may be required.

At arable sites, herbicide and fertiliser use must be restricted.

6 Threats / Factors Leading to Loss or Decline or Limiting Recovery The major reasons for the loss of populations have been the gradual development of scrub and woodland and major changes in land use. Due to the marginal nature of many sites, they are particularly vulnerable to chance events.

Massive changes in the British countryside have combined to cause the declines in the range of Filago pyramidata over the past hundred years. These have included the loss of common land to urbanisation, forestry and agricultural improvement, the abandonment of traditional management over the areas that are left, and natural succession to woodland and scrub. These processes (Table 6), particularly the last, continue to threaten the few remaining sites.

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Table 6 - Threats to the survival of Filago pyramidata in the UK. THREAT CAUSE Habitat destruction Agricultural improvement. Industrial/urban/recreational (golf course) development. Dumping of refuse (including landfill). Grazing Rabbit grazing and digging can be detrimental to some populations. Successional The development of coarse grassland and scrub following cessation of quarry working. Neglect of road-verge cutting.

7 Current Conservation Measures

7.1 IN SITU MEASURES FORMAL PROTECTION Many sites are now under favourable management, either under informal or statutory agreements (Table 7). Of 9 sites, 5 receive protection as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).

Table 7 - Management at Filago pyramidata sites in England. MANAGEMENT STATUS NUMBER OF SITES AND SUB-SITES* Favourable management 6 Management unsuitable but under negotiation 3 Unknown 2

CURRENT CONSERVATION SCHEMES A number of countryside conservation schemes offer assistance to land managers conserving sites currently or formerly supporting populations of Filago pyramidata. Amongst the most appropriate are:

Environmental Stewardship This is a new agri-environment scheme, which provides funding to farmers and other land managers in England who deliver effective environmental management on their land. The scheme is intended to build on the recognised success of the Environmental Sensitive Areas scheme and the Countryside Stewardship Scheme. It is administered by DEFRA.

Environmentally Sensitive Areas The ESAs scheme aims to maintain and often to enhance the scientific, landscape, historical and cultural values of key environmental areas across England. To date, 22 areas have been identified as ESAs, and 10,915 agreements signed, encouraging the sympathetic management of 532,000 hectares of land. Agreements typically last for a ten-year period. The Breckland sites fall within the Breckland ESA. The scheme is administered by DEFRA and is now closed to new applicants.

Countryside Stewardship The Countryside Stewardship Scheme was the Government’s principal scheme for the sustainable management of valued areas in the wider countryside, through the payment of grants to enhance, restore and recreate targeted landscapes and sites. It operated outside Environmentally Sensitive Areas. Through the scheme, farmers and land managers entered 10-year agreements to manage land in an environmentally sensitive manner in return for 13

annual payments. Like the ESA programme, this scheme was administered by DEFRA.

Protected Road Verges Many district councils run protected road verge schemes. In many cases, these schemes offer little more than freedom from the normal cutting regime, but they can give the opportunity to carry out more constructive management programmes. The Highways Agency manages the verges of trunk roads and motorways, and this would be an appropriate scheme for road verges at Thurrock.

7.2 EX SITU MEASURES Collections of seed of Filago pyramidata from six sites in England are held in the Millennium Seed Bank at the Royal Botanical Gardens at Wakehurst Place, West Sussex (Table 9).

Table 9 - Accessions of Filago pyramidata held in the Millennium Seed Bank. COUNTY LOCATION Cambridgeshire Between Newton & Whittlesford (2 collections). West Sussex Halnaker Chalk Pit (7 collections). Berkshire Flowing Spring Quarry, Reading (2 collections). Oxfordshire Buckland Warren (3 collections). Kent Cuxton. Cambridgeshire Near Whittlesford (possibly the same as above).

7.3 RESEARCH DATA The only experimental data referring to Filago pyramidata is included in Wilson (1990). This includes investigations of the response of a number of arable annuals and a wheat crop to differing application levels of nitrogen (Wilson, 1999), the performance of arable annuals after different cultivation dates and studies of germination periodicity, all of which include Filago pyramidata.

7.4 MONITORING FILAGO PYRAMIDATA & THE COMMON MONITORING STANDARD Individual flowering plants of Filago pyramidata are relatively easy to distinguish and count. Numbers can, however, be very large at some sites (>10,000), so a sampling strategy should be devised for these sites. Where numbers are less than 1000, a complete count should be made.

8 References Biodiversity Steering Group (1995). Biodiversity: the U.K. Steering Group report. H.M.S.O., London. Čeřovský, J., Feráková, V., Holub, J., Maglocký, Š. & Procházka, F. (1999). Červená kniha ohrožených a vzácných druhů rostlin a živočichů ČR a SR. Vol. 5. Vyšší rostliny. Príroda a. s., Bratislava. Clapham, A.R., Tutin, T.G. & Moore, D.M. (1987). Flora of the British Isles. 3rd edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

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Conti, F., Manzi, A. & Pedrotti, F. (1997). Liste Rosse Regionali delle Piante d’Italia. Associazione Italiana per il World Wildlife Fund & Società Botanica Italiana, Camerino, Italy. Environmental Protection Department of the Republic of Lithuania (1992). Red Data Book of Lithuania: Rare and Endangered Species of Animals, Plants and Fungi. Vilnius, Lithuania. Gärdenfors, U. (2000). Rödlistade arter i Sverige 2000 – The 2000 Red List of Swedish Species. ArtDatabanken, SLU, Sweden. Grime J.P., Hodgson J.G. & Hunt R .(1988). Comparative Plant Ecology. Chapman & Hall, London. Hulten, E. & Fries, M. (1986). Atlas of north European vascular plants north of the Tropic of Cancer. Koeltz Scientific Books, Konigstein. Ingelög, T., Andersson, R. & Tjernberg, M. (1993). Red Data Book of the Baltic Region: Part 1 – Lists of threatened vascular plants and vertebrates. Swedish Threatened Plants Unit, Uppsala, Sweden. Jalas, J. & Suominen, J. (eds). 1972, 1973, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1994, 1996. Atlas Florae Europaeae. Vols. 1-11. The Committee for Mapping the Flora of Europe and Societas, Biologica Fennica Vanamo, Helsinki. Kaźmierczakowa, R. & Zarzycki, K. (2001). Polish Red Data Book of Plants. Polish Academy of Sciences, Cracow, Poland. Kotiranta, H., Uotila, P., Sulkava, S. & Peltonen, S.-L. (eds). (1998). Red data book of East Fennoscandia. Ministry of the Environment, Finnish Environment Institute & Botanical Museum, Finnish Museum of Natural History, Helsinki, Finland. Lozano, F.D. (ed.) (2000). Red List of Spanish Vascular Flora. Boletín de la Comisión de Flora del Comité Espaňol de la Unión Mundial para la Conservacióde la Naturaleza. 6. Comité Espaňol UICN. Malloch, A.J.C. (1996). MATCH version 2 – A Computer Programme to Aid the Assignment of Vegetation Data to the Communities and Sub-communities of the National Vegetation Classification. University of Lancaster. Olivier, L., Galland, J.-P. & Maurin, H. (1995). Livre Rouge de la Flore Menacée de France. Tome I: Espèces Prioritaires. Paris. Phitos, D. et al (1995). The Red Data Book of Rare and Threatened Plants of Greece. WWF. Athens. Preston, C.D., Pearman, D.A. & Dines, T.D. (2002). New Atlas of the British & Irish Flora. University Press, Oxford. Rich T.C.G. (1995). Broad-leaved Cudweed (Filago pyramidata) in Britain. Plantlife Report no. 29. Plantlife, London. Rich, T. & Jermy, C. (1998). Plant Crib 1998. Botanical Society of the British Isles, London. Rodwell J.S. (1991). British Plant Communities Volume 1. Woodlands and Scrub. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Rodwell J.S. (1992). British Plant Communities Volume 2. Grasslands and Montane Communities. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Rodwell J.S. (2000). British Plant Communities Volume 5. Maritime Communities and Vegetation of Open Habitats. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Stace, C.A. (1997). New Flora of the British Isles (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Stevanović, V. (ed.) (1999). The Red Data Book of Flora of Serbia. 1 Extinct & Critically Endangered Taxa. Belgrade. Tutin, T.G., Heywood, V.H., Burges, N.A., Moore, D.M., Valentine, D.H., Walters, S.M. & Webb, D.A. (1976). Flora Europaea. Volume 4. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Wigginton, M.J. (ed.). (1998). British Red Data Books 1 Vascular plants 3rd edition, Peterborough: Joint Nature Conservation Committee. 15

Wilson P.J. (1990). The Ecology and Conservation of Rare Arable Weed Species and Communities. PhD Thesis, University of Southampton. Wilson P.J. (1999). The effect of nitrogen on populations of rare arable plants in Britain. Aspects of Applied Biology, 54: 93-100. Wilson P.J. (2002). Filago pyramidata (Broad-leaved Cudweed) in 2001. Plantlife Report no. 213. Plantlife, London. Wilson, P.J. & King, M.P. (2003). Arable Plants – A Field guide. Wild Guides, Old Basing.

9 Acknowledgments Thanks to Philip Wilson for his work on the draft of this dossier. Thanks also to Diana Collingridge, Ruth Davis, Roger Matthews, Marian Reed, Donna Radley, the Goodwood Estate, the owner of the Pampisford site, the Ashmolean Natural History Society and to Plantlife International volunteers Sarah Garnett and James Peat for their editorial work on this dossier.

10 Contacts

Plantlife International The Wild Plant Conservation Charity 14 Rollestone Street or contact enquiries: Salisbury [email protected] Wiltshire SP1 1DX. Tel: 01722 342730

11 Links ARKive species web page for Filago pyramidata: http://www.arkive.org/species/ARK/plants_and_algae/Filago_pyramidata.

Plantlife International wishes to acknowledge the financial support of English Nature, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Countryside Council for Wales for the Back from the Brink (species recovery) programme.

ISBN: 1 904749-25-9

Original draft by Phil Wilson Edited by Plantlife International First draft dated April 2004 Last revised 13 April 2006

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