The Wild Welsh Leek Project Allium Ampeloprasum L. Var. Ampeloprasum
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The Wild Welsh Leek Project Allium ampeloprasum L. var. ampeloprasum (synonyms can be found in Appendix 1) Common names – Cenhinan Wyllt, Wild Leek, Wild onion, Description & Background A. ampeloprasum is typically a plant of anthropogenic habitats, associated with ruined settlements and historic field systems and occurring, for example, amongst brambles and rough vegetation on stone-faced Cornish 'hedges', in old orchards, by footpaths, on roadsides, and on disturbed and waste ground (FitzGerald 1990c). Associates are mainly undistinguished species of rough places and walls such as Arrhenatherum elatius, Chaerophyllum temulentum, Galium aparine, Heracleum sphondylium, Iris foetidissima, Rubus fruticosus, Rumex acetosa, Silene dioica, Umbilicus rupestris and Urtica dioica. It is also found occasionally in more natural habitats including the top and faces of rocky sea-cliffs and sandy places on the coast. It is a robust perennial, flowering in July and August, and reproducing by seed and vegetatively. Three morphologically distinct varieties are usually recognised; var. ampeloprasum with dense globose umbels lacking bulbils, There are suggestions that the plant has strong associations with man and may has been cultivated in ancient times. Var. ampeloprasum has been recorded in very few sites on the coasts of England and Wales and has been seen in only three in recent years; on Steep Holm and Flat Holm in the Bristol Channel, and near South Stack, Anglesey. When first recorded on Steep Holm in 1625, it was described as abundant, and in 1891 as plentiful, but it has since declined. In 1989, only 216 plants Wild Welsh Leek Project 1 were found. Neither is it thriving on Flat Holm. The South Stack population consists between 40 and >70 plants. There are differing views on the status of A. ampeloprasum. Some authorities treat it as a likely ancient introduction. Stearn noted that the bulbilliferous variants of A. ampeloprasum (var bulbifera and var. babingtonii) may owe their British localities to a now forgotten culinary use, and Roberts & Day, in their note in the BSBI Journal Watsonia on the South Stack plants, thought that the Anglesey plants had no appearance of being indigenous. However, Stace and Sell & Murrell treat all varieties as native in their floras. Var. ampeloprasum occurs throughout western and southern Europe, including the Mediterranean islands, with its stronghold in Iberia and the Balearic Islands. It ranges eastwards to Turkey, Iraq and the Caucasus, and is considered to be naturalised in the Azores (Var. babingtonii is endemic in Britain, Ireland and the Channel Islands, and var. bulbiferum is endemic in the Channel Islands) (extracted from M. J. Wigginton, URL: https://www.brc.ac.uk/plantatlas/plant/allium- ampeloprasum) Threat Status For the purpose of this project information regarding its Vulnerable threat status as a Welsh archaeophyte species will be considered. A. ampeloprasum var. ampeloprasum currently has 3 extant populations in Wales. The largest populations are on Steep Holm and Flat Holm Islands in the Bristol Channel where the species is thought to be declining, the population at South Stack varies between 40 and nearly 80 plants in any given year. Welsh Vascular Plant Red List Category Vulnerable D1 + 2 Year Published: 2008 Date Assessed: No date given Assessor(s): Dines, T. Reviewer(s): N/A Number of individuals c. 450 Considered an archaeophyte A. ampeloprasum var. ampeloprasum has no specific conservation measures in place. Map showing extent of site for A. ampeloprasum (Appendix 2) (sensitive data masked) Wild Welsh Leek Project 2 History and Cultural Status of A. ampeloprasum var ampeloprasum on Anglesey Plants of Allium ampeloprasum var ampeloprasum were first noted at their site at South Stack on Holy Island/Ynys Gybi on Anglesey in the early 1970’s by Mr D. B. Hornby with the exact date of its discovery being uncertain. It was recorded in the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds' South Stack Warden's Annual Report in about 1976, but it was not until 1983 that R. H. Roberts became aware of the locality at which time 43 flowering plants with a smaller number not flowering were counted. In August 1985, only 22 flowering plants could be seen, again with a smaller number not flowering, but a number of broken stems suggested that some flower-heads had been collected. Additionally a further small group of plants (four in all, but only two of them flowering) was found about 50 m away from the original site. In 2013 a record 84 individual flower heads were counted by Dr Trevor Dines of PlantLife. More recently annual counts have been between 40 and >70 individual flower heads along a 50M stretch of verge near South Stack. The leek (A. ampeloprasum var. porrum) is one of the national emblems of Wales and it, or the Daffodil (Cenhinen Bedr, Peter's leek , in Welsh), is worn on St. David's Day. The story goes that King Cadwaladr of Gwynedd ordered his soldiers to identify themselves by wearing a leek on their helmets in an ancient battle against the Saxons and thus the leek became the floral emblem of the ‘Cymru’. Field signs or insignias have long been used both officially and unofficially to distinguish between troops on a battlefield with Scottish clans using plant badges, a sprig or flower of a species specific to their clan. The Kings of Gwynedd were based on Anglesey, Cadfan’s inscribed gravestone is in Llangadwaladr (place of Cadwaladr) church, near ancient llys (royal court) of the kings of Gwynedd. The Welsh people’s links with the leek almost certainly predate Cadwaladr and started during the Bronze age. The three separate forms of A. ampeloprasum (var babingtonii, var. bulbiferum and var ampeloprasum) are found across a similar range to the areas visited by, traded with and prospected by the Phoenicians. Phoenician traders (2500–1000 BC) from the Near East are likely to have been the first to introduce the leek to Wales, bringing it with them from its native home in the Levant, when they were trading for copper in North Wales and tin in Cornwall and elsewhere. Phoenician influence can be traced in the Iberian and Celtic worlds from the 8th century BC onwards through rock art and tomb construction techniques. For the early people of Anglesey the leek was likely important in many areas of day to day life; its use as a cure-all would have been significant perhaps even revered. The Hebrew Bible mentions the leek, and its abundance in ancient Egyptian, an area of A. ampeloprasum’s natural distribution, yet doesn’t discuss whether it was used in its wild or domesticated form. It seems that the green and white leek of Wales was not fully domesticated from the wild, eastern, A. ampeloprasum until at least the ancient Roman era (c.27 BC – 476 AD) and thus would not have come to Wales in the traditionally known domesticated form by the time of Cadwaladr. However, A. ampeloprasum is extremely variable with bulbil producing forms of A. ampeloprasum (var. bulbiferum and var. babingtonii) being considered early selections or ‘cultivars’ Not far from the site of the plants are the Ty Mawr hut circles. These hut circles are at least Iron age in origin but have evidence of being occupied continuously at least up until the Roman era. Excavation at two of the hut circles in the 1980s revealed evidence of early farming and vegetable gardens Wild Welsh Leek Project 3 We don’t fully understand and, without more than circumstantial evidence, cannot confirm the wild leeks importance to both Anglesey’s history and the people of Wales however, given the circumstantial evidence shown here, it seems prudent that the protection of these plants should be considered of paramount importance. The occurrence of this species near South Stack on Anglesey is therefore of some significance. Small numbers of plants can be found along a 50m stretch near South Stack Project details Unfortunately, currently, there is an element of threat to the Anglesey plants of A. ampeloprasum var. ampeloprasum in that they are in line of development works for the cables and substation of the Morlais tidal stream energy project. Additionally, the whole population seems to be moving further into the area of verge that is cut regularly for safety by the highways team of Anglesey County Council as well as ongoing picking of flowerheads which occasionally uproots bulbs. The site of A. ampeloprasum on Anglesey has no formal protection and A. ampeloprasum itself, being considered an archaeophyte, has no specific protections despite being a red list threatened (Vulnerable) species in all its forms in Wales. With this in mind plants during summer 2020 plants were brought into cultivation, with permission from the landowner and under guidance of Natural Resources Wales, from the Anglesey population of A. ampeloprasum and it is proposed that these plants be used as mother stock to produce material for translocation to other sites on Anglesey. Working with Ynys Mon/Anglesey County Council Local Nature Partnership translocation sites will be identified and at one of these sites’ a bilingual interpretation panel regarding the cultural heritage of the leek will be installed. The presence of the wild leeks has now been flagged with NRW and Ynys Mon council so that they can be considered in the planning proposals for the Morlais project. Wild Welsh Leek Project 4 About FossilPlants FossilPlants is a small, private, botanic garden and conservation research nursery based in Llanberis, North Wales and Bangor, North Wales. Its main aim is that of conservation, education and to promote the study of plant evolution, paleobotany, taxonomy and plant sciences for all. FossilPlants is an institutional member of BGCI. Stakeholders FossilPlants. www.fossilplants.co.uk Ynys Mon LNP Natural Resources Wales Anglesey County Council Breakwater Country Park The Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland VC 52 Recorders Appendix 1.