BSBI Recorder www.bsbi.org.uk
Newsletter for BSBI County Recorders February 2002
Alex Lockton
The Vyrnwy Aqueduct in Montgomeryshire This canal contains about 90% of the British population of Potamogeton compressus but is subject to a planned restoration project that would enable motorised boats to use it. Off-line reserves and translocations have been proven not to work, so the P. compressus is almost certainly doomed. The only other significant site for this species in Britain is the Grantham Canal, which is also being restored.
Including… BSBI Volunteers Officer advertisement News from the BSBI Progress with the Threatened Plants Database A new MSc programme in Biological Recording How to cope with Records Centres and the NBN
Plus requests to contribute to the BSBI Literature Database and the Arable Weeds Survey 2002.
Contents
Page No. News from the BSBI ...... 2 County Rare Plant Registers Reintroductions and translocations The National Biodiversity Network The Biological Records Centre Plantlife Consultants BSBI Recording Strategy ...... 4 Guidelines for County Rare Plant Registers...... 5 BSBI Bibliographical Database...... 7 Rare plant recording...... 8 Pillwort Purple Ramping-fumitory Grass-wrack Pondweed Maiden Pink MSc in Biological Recording...... 14 Arable Weeds Survey 2002...... 14 Threatened Plants Database...... 16
Contact details
For information about the Volunteers Officer post, contact: Ailsa Burns, 3 Rosliston Road, Stapenhill, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire 01283 568136
For information about the Threatened Plants Database, contact: Alex Lockton, 66 North Street, Shrewsbury, SY1 2JL 01743 343789 [email protected] or dial up to the web site, www.tpdb.org
For information about the society’s other activities, contact: David Pearman, The Old Rectory, Frome St. Quintin, Dorchester, Dorset, DT2 0HF 01935 83702
BSBI Web Master: Alan Hale, [email protected]
Botanical Society of the British Isles Botany Department, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD
News from the BSBI David Pearman
We have just been informed that we have Database, and needs to be fed with far been successful in a joint bid to the Heritage more detailed information than the Lottery Fund with Plantlife. From our side, traditional distribution database. Rare this will mean funds for a post to, inter alia , Plant Registers are a first (easy!) step work better with the county recorders, towards our future recording activities. promote County Rare Plant Registers, look for species that appear to be on the edge of d) Showing the conservation people both “Scarce” or “Rare,” and work out how (and nationally and locally that we are the how many) of our members become involved experts with the information. At the in monitoring. It will also involve some re- moment it is too easy for run of the Monitoring Scheme, but we still conservationists to ignore good science have to make detailed plans on that. because the information is not being made available to them in an accessible The post was advertised on February 13 th in form – we need to correct that situation The Guardian (see also the back cover of this if we want to get government money newsletter). Please could all readers cast working for the good of plants rather their minds over any of their colleagues and than for the good of conservationists see if you can think of anybody suitable – (sorry, only joking!). and then tell them and tell me! Closing date for applications is 5 th March 2002. The salient points from the Guidelines for Rare Plant Registers are given later in this County Rare Plant Registers newsletter. The full document is available on BSBI Executive and Records Committee are the BSBI web site or from the coordinator. terribly keen on the promotion of these, both for the obvious reasons, and also as a way Reintroductions and of:- translocations One of the really scary lessons of the Atlas a) Helping to stimulate recording locally. was realising just how many species have We imagine that many counties will been dealt with in this way – probably as need to supplement book work with field many as 100 species. Far more worrying is work to update older records, or records that no register of reintroductions and of rarer plants that are relatively frequent translocations exists anywhere, except for the in you vice county, but have previously small number of species on the Threatened only been recorded by, say, tetrads. At Plants Database. Even organisations like last we are preparing a list of members in English Nature, at a national level, have no each v.c. and hope to let you have these knowledge of what may have been by April. It should be possible to let the reintroduced locally. v.c. recorders in the less populated counties have these lists by region, or There are widely divergent views about the surrounding vice counties. ethics and the reasons for reintroduction. Mine is purist and simplistic: “don’t do it.” b) Helping some v.c. recorders to get But to do it, and not document it, seems started. We should be able to provide ludicrous. Many of the instances that we any v.c. recorder with a list and details of found out about in the New Atlas were quite all the plants in the BRC database, fortuitous, and heaven knows how many checked to the VCCC. That would give species have “benefited” from this, us and you a basic framework. encouraged by BAP targets. I would very much like to hear the opinions of recorders. c) Integrating with the TPDB. As explained One of our bids to the Country Agencies is to in more detail later in this newsletter, the set up a country-wide register of TPDB is our flagship Ecological reintroductions.
National Biodiversity Network Our coordinator, Alex Lockton, can provide There is a great deal potentially going on, support for recorders who want to with new staff based at BRC, and initiatives collaborate with an LRC. This involves the in SW England and elsewhere. It is very LRC depositing with us a copy of at least all difficult to summarise and possibly too early the botanical records, for safekeeping and to make any conclusions, but I feel I need to quality control. In this way we can be say something. assured that we will be able to fulfil future activities, rather than finding out too late that The NBN Gateway the database has been lost, corrupted or Briefly, this is a development housed at BRC otherwise made unavailable to us. Please which aims to put all BRC data on a web bear this in mind – as county recorder, you site. Access to this site is password are custodian of our records, and we depend controlled, with us able to grant access to our on you, not anyone else, to look after them own members. In theory it would be possible carefully. for a v.c. recorder to view all of his or her data held at BRC and, in a separate Biological Records Centre development, be able to correct it or add to Again, plans are still fluid, but we should be it. When this works it should make an receiving our promised copy of the entire enormous change to our data access and Vascular Plants Database early this year. verification procedures. We have given This will enable us to service enquiries, permission for our data held at BRC to be mainly from those county recorders without used for the pilot project. web access, and plan projects on a county or regional scale. Local Records Centres When the NBN concept was launched there We intend, this year if possible, to expand were ambitious plans to create new LRCs our data collection capabilities, in and upgrade existing ones, with what I conjunction with BRC, and will issue clear perceived to be a marginal role for our v.c. instructions (wishes?!) on what data we recorder network, which was slightly ironic would like from county recorders, and in since we are “quite good at producing what form (Pink Cards, computer disks, or records and acting as experts in whatever), now that the Atlas is over. identification.” Two years on the picture is more blurred, although English Nature are Plantlife funding a SW England Pilot Project which At the moment, we are trying to see if we seems to involve requests to our recorders to need to be more formal in our relations with hand over all their records. Similar initiatives Plantlife, who now have 20 staff, particularly are under way across Britain, and are at least in relation to our county recorder network. under discussion in Ireland. In the last ten years, many of our recorders Broadly, I feel we wish to cooperate, and on have helped Plantlife “Back from the brink” my good days I feel that you can set up all staff, including Ro Fitzgerald, Tim Rich, Liz the conventions and concepts you like, but McDonnell and Phil Wilson. I think it has we continue to provide both the expertise worked well, and in recent years Plantlife and the new records. But we do feel strongly have been excellent in feedback and that, if a county recorder is to co-operate acknowledgement. They have now appointed with an LRC, they should do so with the Welsh and Scottish officers, who will utmost caution, especially over the inevitably come into contact with our ownership and retrieval of their records. At recorders in areas where botanists are a lot the end of the day, a county recorder’s thinner on the ground. I’m sure we wish to responsibility is to make sure that they are help, and I do feel it would be nice to know able to provide the Society and their their plans when they have evolved them. successor with the information that we need I’m sorry if this seems laboured (or vague, or to do our job. both!), but I feel our county recorder network is our jewel, and I just don’t know whether
the growth of NBN funded LRCs (creating, but I have not seen much evidence of that if you like, a parallel store of records in yet. Our advice to our recorders is to keep many counties), the appointment of Plantlife doing your job to the best of your ability, and paid officers (inevitably calling on our with a proper degree of independence, and expertise), and the continuing growth of the do not put too much store in other people’s number of paid consultants individually or grand plans. collectively represent an opportunity or a challenge, or a threat! Certainly, to read the Consultants & payments internal plans and strategies of some of these I’ve mentioned this before, but I promise we organisations, they believe that the days of will write guidance notes this spring! the traditional naturalists societies are over,
BSBI Recording Strategy Alex Lockton
One of the roles of the BSBI in the 21 st The next question is therefore for the county century will be to contribute towards an recorders. Would you like to take on a new understanding of ecology. With hundreds of challenge of studying ecology? It would not millions of pounds of public money now mean abandoning everything done in the past being invested into conservation – distribution data is essential background management, the BSBI is desperately needed knowledge. We would keep on doing all the to give sound scientific advice on how that things we do already, but we would add a money can best be spent. Our task for the last new perspective, to collect lots of additional hundred years or so was to show where information about plants. plants grow; now we need to move beyond these large-scale phytogeographical studies, If you are keen – or opposed - please let us and look more towards a small-scale, know. Of course many members have been ecological understanding of plants. doing this sort of thing for years, decades, even. Some of the definitive ecology texts At a recent Records Committee meeting we are County Floras such as Gordon Graham’s discussed this question. Do we want to Fl. of Co. Durham , Charles Sinker’s Fl. become a more ecological society, or should Shropshire , and Ronald Good’s Fl. Dorset , we stick to our traditional, relatively simple but there is a lot more we could be doing. task of ticking lists for ten kilometre The new Atlas is a wonderful opportunity. squares? With reservations about whether the We can see it as the stimulus we need to look membership would endorse such a change in at other aspects of plant distribution. The emphasis, the committee universally archaeophyte / neophyte issue is one that will welcomed the idea in principle. challenge us considerably for the next few decades, and there are many other interesting spin-offs to consider.
Guidelines for County Rare Plant Registers Approved by the Science & Research Committee
The categories for inclusion in a CRPR are 3. Nationally Scarce as set out in Farrell & Perring 1996. No In many cases it is the Nationally Scarce species should be included if it is not native species which are of the greatest interest to the vice-county or thought to have ecologically, rather than just for their rarity. expanded its range into the vice-county by It is often the case that a few such species are anthropogenic processes (except under rule 7 quite widespread within the counties in the below). In practice this is often a matter of middle of their range, and they are some- judgement, and some species are likely to be times indicators of good quality habitat. It is present both as natives and as garden particularly useful for a CRPR to go into escapes. Where a difficult choice has to be some depth in their analysis of these species, made, the facts as known can be set out in highlighting threats and opportunities for the text, allowing the reader to come to an their conservation. informed decision. It is important to include under each entry – and preferably in a Accounts of the Nationally Scarce species summary table – which category each can be found in Scarce Plants in Britain . species qualifies under. Experience shows that there are often Nationally Scarce species present in a county 1. Internationally Rare as casuals or as garden escapes. Such species It is very useful to give a full account of should be included, even if there are no those species which are characteristic of a current sites or if it likely that they are not particular area, or even endemic to it. The native to the region, but the entries can be current definition of an internationally rare short and should explain the circumstances. species is any which:- 4. Locally Rare is endemic to Britain. This includes endemic hybrids involving alien taxa. It The category “locally rare” is of some might be argued that such alien endemics interest. It draws the attention of planners are of lower conservation importance and sites managers to species which might be than native ones, but they should be on the edge of their range or for some other included and then the details can be reason uncommon within the county. In explained in the text. general it has been used to make up at least half of all the species included in CRPRs. is of restricted distribution internationally, and has its status The original proposal by Farrell & Perring is recognised by some international that a species should be defined as “locally standard such as the IUCN Red Lists, the rare” if it was known to be present within EU Habitats Directive, or the Bern three or fewer “sites” within a vice-county. Convention. Wherever possible, the In this context a “site” is a discrete area global distribution of these species within a moveable kilometre square, which should be described in the text of the seems at first glance to be slightly vague but CRPR and the importance of the local in general is fairly easy to apply in practice. population evaluated. The number three is convenient to deal with 2. Nationally Rare in any size of county, whereas a category The third edition of the British Red Data that is based on a proportion of the size will Book, by Martin Wigginton, should be used produce either very long lists for the larger for this. It is probably the Nationally Rare counties or very short lists for the smaller species which are most vulnerable to damage ones. There is nothing unscientific about this caused by plant hunters and collectors, so it principle – the people in Luxembourg, for is entirely justified if a CRPR does not give example, are just as entitled to draw up lists detailed locations. The reasons for this can of nationally rare plants as we are, even be explained in the text. though Luxembourg is much smaller than
Britain. It is a consequence of geography that 6. Extinct political and social organisation corresponds Any species which was formerly native to to other features than surface area, and it is the county but which is now thought to be largely to those units of organisation that a extinct there. CRPR is addressed. It can be difficult to decide which species are extinct and which have simply not been Using this system, Locally Rare species tend recorded for a while. The IUCN suggests that to fall into a number of categories: an absence of 50 years is appropriate, but Native species which occur in restricted recording effort must also be taken into habitats such as ancient woodlands, for account. The county recorder is probably the instance. best placed person to make such a decision, so the most helpful thing is for them to do so. Casuals, often found on the edge of their Any uncertainties can be explained in the range within the county. text. It is particularly valuable to research the Species which are difficult to identify. old records to find species which became extinct a long time ago, as they are often Of these three groups it is of course the first very interesting from an ecological point of which is of most interest to conservationists, view. but the second group are well worth including, as information on species on the 7. Alien species of particular edge of their range can reveal changes in interest their distribution. It is a matter of judgement Any non-native taxon that is present in three what to do with the third group, which or fewer sites in the vice-county which has includes many hybrids and critical taxa. been established for a long time and which is There is little point in making a long list of of particular cultural, historical or ecological plants that are simply under-recorded, interest. although the inclusion of some of these species can be useful in eliciting new This clause recognises that there are species records. which are not native to Britain but which are worth including. Among these are the arable 5. Locally scarce and declining weeds which may have been present for Species which are native, present in 10 sites centuries and which are often the focus for or fewer, and thought to be in decline. This conservation initiatives, but which may not category is inevitably somewhat subjective, be truly native. It is also reasonable to and must be based on the v.c. recorder’s include some plants that may have been judgement, but there is sometimes good deliberately introduced – for example the old reason to include species which are evidently Whitty Pear ( Sorbus domestica ) of the Wyre in decline and which may qualify as rare Forest would have been included under this under one of the categories above in the near category in a CRPR for Worcestershire even future. This can be done for a limited number before it was discovered to be a native of species, but it is not practical to include species. too many under this heading. Perhaps a simple list can be given if desired. It is best not to have too many species included under this category, and it must remain up to the author what to include. One possible guideline would be to include everything relevant that is listed in the 18 th century Flora of the county, if there is one.
BSBI Bibliographical Database Mike Walpole & Chris Boon
The BSBI database, compiled at the 4) The Vice County Census Catalogue (not University of Leicester over the last twenty yet available on the web), which keeps a years, is one of the most popular and useful running total of all the species properly parts of the BSBI web site. It contains four recorded in each vice county, together important data sets:- with its status there (native, planted, etc).
1) A taxonomic checklist, continuously We now need people to help with the updated, which forms the basis of literature database, and are making plans to botanical recording in Britain. This is the decentralise it by networking across the list used in Stace’s New Flora of the internet. We hope recorders and other British Isles , although on the web site it volunteers will be persuaded to contribute contains more information on synonyms, references from local publications. For now Gaelic names, etc., than you will find in we would appreciate it if members could the book. send us some abstracts from local 2) A literature database, consisting of publications for incorporation into the published references to the British Flora. database. What we are looking for are For many years this information was summaries of papers published in local compiled by Douglas Kent and published periodicals (not New or Watsonia , as we annually in BSBI Abstracts. already cover those). If people would 3) A cytology database, consisting of complete the form below in the way detailed information about the illustrated by the example, it would help us chromosomes and genetics of British to judge the level of response we might get; plants. alternatively, please send us a photocopy of any article or a copy of your local journals for us to extract the information from.
Item Example Author Rackham, O. Date 1992
Title Gamlingay Wood
Reference Nature in Cambridgeshire 34:3-15
Taxa mentioned in Quercus text Fraxinus Primula Hyacinthoides
Vice County/ies 29
Abstract Examines the history and ecology of Gamlingay Wood from 1086 to 1992.
Please return completed forms to Michael Walpole 68 Outwoods Road, Loughborough, LE11 3LY
Rare plant recording Alex Lockton & Sarah Whild
When a botanist sees a rare plant, they need A vegetation sample is, ideally, an NVC to be aware that there are a small number of quadrat. This varies in size from 2m x 2m in techniques that they can use to record it. A short grassland to 50m x 50m in a wood, but person does not just invent a new recording in each case the principle is the same: record procedure each day, depending on their all species in the sample, and measure their whim. In the same way, a troop of soldiers abundance using a scale such as Domin or who find themselves confronted by a tank do percentage cover. The advantage of not sit down and debate which weapon might vegetation samples is that they can be be best under the circumstances. They compared with each other. If people invent immediately spring into action and set up their own procedures, this comparability is their armour-piercing missile-launcher, or lost, so it is best not to. There is also a loss if whatever it is they use these days. the samples are not recorded thoroughly. All botanists should familiarise themselves with Like soldiers, or any other professional for vegetation sampling techniques. Have a look that matter, botanists have a number of tried at the Flora of Co. Durham if you need and tested methods for doing their job. The examples. good ones know all these techniques and set about them straight away. They are all quick Full site list and efficient, if you know what you’re doing. This is another extraordinarily useful Here are some of the techniques used by rare technique, but a lot of the benefits are lost if plant researchers:- it is done half-heartedly. At its best, you need to visit the site at least twice during the year, Individual record and record as many species as you can. This is the quickest and simplest. You can do Notes on the abundance and distribution of it under almost any circumstances, even the more interesting species certainly helps. while out walking with a bunch of non- Site lists are given in many county Floras – botanical friends. The TPDB record card is see, for instance, Edees’ Fl. of Staffordshire, ideal for this. There are just five steps: 1, or Primavesi & Evans’s Fl. Leicestershire. record the species (identifying it properly!). To the ecologist, these lists are far more 2: record the location with a six-figure (or, if useful than any number of distribution maps you have a GPS, 8-figure) grid reference and or species accounts. a site name. 3: note down the date – day, month and year. 4: note down your own These three techniques make up the bulk of name. 5: make any other observations you good recording of rare plants. If we could have time for – population size, anything that have just one of each for every rare plant you think might be useful. locality in Britain, we really would know something about these species. At the Vegetation sample moment, we have nothing comparable to Otherwise known as a quadrat or a relevé. this. The most important thing, however, is You can come across all sorts of variations to be absolutely clear in you mind which of this, but beware of diluted versions. They technique it is you are using. Most of the seem easy, but they’re almost useless. If you data available to the Threatened Plants are going to record phytosociology, do it Project is collected half-heartedly – short site properly. Otherwise, you can save time by lists, too small a quadrat, or individual making an individual record. records without date or detailed grid reference. If anyone wants any advice or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Pillwort, Pilularia globulifera We have as complete as possible a data set Unfortunately, in some sites it is very for Pillwort, thanks in part to the work of difficult to catch the vegetation in this state, Clive Jermy, who has looked at specimens in so we are entirely dependent on County almost every herbarium in Britain, and has Recorders and local botanists to seize any visited many sites. Particularly good recent such opportunity to record properly. Plants to data is available for the New Forest area, look out for include Alopecurus aequalis , where our recorder, Pete Selby, is ably Littorella uniflora and Elatine hexandra . For assisted by a very active Flora Group; but those with a bryological interest, I suspect many other people take an active interest in that Physcomitrium sphaericum and this species, and have been good enough to Aphanorhegma patens might well form a send in regular reports. In Britain there are part of this vegetation. 84 hectads in which it is known to occur since 1990, out of an all-time total of 286 This seems to account well for many of the squares. At the tetrad level, there are 164 known sites for Pillwort, in reservoirs and current squares out of a total of 516. By lakes, and goes some way towards either measure this is a “decline” of about explaining why it grows in some parts of a 70%, although of course there has never been lake and not in others. Sue Scott, who has a period in which it has been found in all its looked for it in numerous lakes in Scotland, sites. has observed that it is often restricted to the shallow muddy areas at the point where the Given the quality of our historical burn enters the loch. Could these areas information and our active monitoring actually be exposed during some dry years? programme, the next thing that needs to be It can be very difficult to tell from a visit done is to explore its ecology further. An when the water level is typically high. interesting questions is whether P. globulifera is a mobile species. It certainly But there is apparently another community in seems to crop up in new sites such a which Pillwort occurs. This is, on the face of reservoirs and gravel pits, and can act as a it, an entirely different type of vegetation pioneer. In some years it is very abundant, altogether, the M29 Hypericum elodes- but in other years it can appear to be entirely Potamogeton polygonifolius soakway, absent. typical of the edges of mires and flushes in mountain areas. It is very much more acidic, It turns out that the NVC gives us an and although probably susceptible to periods excellent clue about its precise habitat of drought, certainly not subject to the same requirements. Probably the main vegetation degree of inundation. I have far less community for it is called OV35 Lythrum information about it in this vegetation portula-Ranunculus flammula community. community. The plants in this type of vegetation can often survive for years, or even decades, Using the TPDB, we can look at the species entirely submerged, but a key feature is that recorded within each site that Pillwort grows they are occasionally exposed, especially in. Some 589 such sites are listed, and a total during exceptionally hot, dry summers. This of 14,000 records of associated species are is the opportunity for many of the plants to given. Sometimes these are records flower and set seed (or produce spores, of deliberately collected as “associates” and course, in the case of P. globulifera ), and sometimes they are not, but an analysis like there are a number of really quite rare this often seems to work. The top 20 such species which favour these conditions. associates are listed below:-
The top 20 species associated with Pilularia globulifera
Species No. of sites Species No. of sites Ranunculus flammula...... 101 Lythrum portula...... 62 Juncus bulbosus...... 92 Eleogiton fluitans...... 62 Juncus effusus...... 84 Glyceria fluitans ...... 55 Juncus articulatus...... 78 Mentha aquatica...... 54 Agrostis stolonifera ...... 77 Potamogeton polygonifolius...... 53 Hydrocotyle vulgaris ...... 76 Carex nigra...... 53 Galium palustre...... 71 Juncus acutiflorus...... 50 Eleocharis palustris...... 69 Equisetum fluviatile ...... 48 Apium inundatum ...... 68 Molinia caerulea...... 46 Littorella uniflora...... 66 Hypericum elodes ...... 45
My guess is that, of this list, Potamogeton management plans often call for water levels polygonifolius , Molinia caerulea , Hypericum to be stabilised. Is this always appropriate? elodes , Carex nigra and possibly Galium palustre are characteristic of M29 mire So please gather information about vegetation, while the rest are all from the associated species and habitat if you have OV35 inundation community. It suggests any P. globulifera sites near you. Does it fit that the OV35 is a more significant habitat the descriptions of either of these for Pillwort than mires are, but we do need communities? And please watch out for dry more data. summers, when reservoirs are drawn down, and the submerged vegetation has a chance Information like this can be really useful in to thrive. There must be many regional conserving a species. It is possible that many variations, for example in Cornwall I suspect of the P. globulifera sites in the Midlands it rains enough in the winter for ruts in farm were damaged by the stabilisation of water tracks to provide the same sort of habitat, levels in lakes, often to protect water whereas in the east of England only a much supplies, or for fishing. Even conservation more sizeable water body would do.
Purple Ramping-fumitory, Fumaria purpurea There was very exciting discovery in 2001. It north as Orkney, it is almost exclusively an is something of a Holy Grail to rare plant arable weed, often growing among root crops researchers to be able to predict where their and in garden vegetable plots. It does not species might grow, and then find it there. occur in Shetland at all. In the Welsh Hardly anyone actually manages it, and the Marches, where it was first discovered, it rare plant files are full of pointless was a hedgerow plant, but it has completely expeditions to look for species in likely disappeared. In Wales there are only a few places. However, last year precisely that was records for it as a casual, in waste places accomplished by one of our top Fumaria such as along railway lines. spotters, John Crossley, who is an agricultural ecologist in Orkney. Quite what determines its strange distribution no-one knows, but Crossley F. purpurea is a particularly difficult plant observed that the fields in Caithness, where it for a variety of reasons. It is extremely had never been recorded, were very similar difficult to identify, and we always want to those in Orkney, where it is well known. I specimens to support any new finds. It also told him that the BSBI would by no means grows with other, almost identical, species of fund such a speculative expedition, as it was fumitory. In Cornwall it is a hedgerow plant, a very long shot indeed, so I was mortified rarely, if ever, growing in arable fields. But and delighted when he and Ken Butler did in the north, from the Scottish border as far
indeed find it! Congratulations are definitely specimen. It’s entirely possible that the due for an excellent bit of detective work. taxonomy could be revised one day, when the molecular geneticists get to work on the Please continue to look out for interesting genus, and if that happens, specimens will be fumitories, and never neglect to take a very necessary.
Grass-wrack Pondweed, Potamogeton compressus It looks likely that this species will soon be In an attempt to gain some understanding of moving from the Scarce to the Rare category, its ecology, we have been collecting as recent results show that it may now occur community data at every site where it occurs in just nine sites in Britain and fewer than 15 or used to occur. Standard NVC quadrats hectads. In Scotland it was formerly known would not be applicable, as you would have in a series of lakes in the lowlands, but has no idea where to record them in sites where not been seen there for a decade or so; in it was not found – and, anyway, in some of England there are some eight known sites for these sites there are almost no aquatic plants it – four canals, two oxbow lakes, and two at all. So what we decided to do is record all ditches in grazing marshes; and in Wales the plants in the water and on the banks for a there is just the Montgomery Canal, but this stretch of about 100m. There is some sense holds some 90% of the entire British in this: for example, you can tell something population. There are a couple of sites in about the trophic status of the area by the Northamptonshire where Gill Gent assures abundance of nitrogen-requiring plants such me it was definitely present recently, but as Urtica dioica on the banks. In fact, from apart from that we have no recent records for initial results, there seems to be a strong anywhere else in Britain. Glen Cooper, negative correlation between U. dioica and recently of the University of East Anglia, has P. compressus , not all that surprisingly. been particularly helpful in searching Norfolk sites. One pleasant surprise was to discover that other botanists have used this technique Current sites before. In Primavesi & Evans’s Flora of Montgomery Canal, v.cc. 40 & 47 Leicestershire there are habitat studies of Ashton Canal in Manchester, v.c. 59 four canals, one of which actually had Shugborough Park, v.c. 39 P. compressus in it. Pat Evans tells me that Oxbow of the River Dove at Marston, the habitat studies were the hardest bit of the v.cc. 39 & 57 Flora to do, but I would like to assure all Grantham Canal west of Grantham, future Flora writers that these ecological bits v.cc. 53 & 55 are the most valuable and enduring work Grand Union Canal at Aylestone, v.c. 55 they could possibly do. I found another such Grand Union Canal at Watford Locks, v.c. 2 canal study by D.E. Coombe amongst the South Walsham Marshes, v.c. 27 JNCC’s rare plant files, where a stretch of Upton Marshes, v.c. 27 the Basingstoke Canal had been covered in the same way in the 1950s; and a similar The vegetation community in which Grass- study of the Prees Branch Canal by Charles wrack Pondweed occurs is almost certainly Sinker about the same time. And, most A11 Potamogeton pectinatus-Myriophyllum usefully of all, a complete survey of the spicatum community, which does not tell us Montgomery Canal by Jonathan Briggs and much, because it is a very widespread and colleagues in the 1980s gives what I am sure diverse community. It seems that the is the best data ever collected on a canal majority of clear water macrophyte ecosystem. assemblages are assigned to this community, from lowland English rivers and canals, to Analysis of all this data might well produce lochs in the Outer Hebrides. It is not obvious some useful findings, and I am hoping a why P. compressus should be so restricted in student at the University of Wolverhampton distribution within this community. will be taking on this challenge for us. What
I hope for is the ability to predict which Trust is currently restoring all the canals water bodies might contain P. compressus , where it occurs. This will inevitably lead to which are declining in quality (i.e. the plant the elimination of some 99% of the is under stress) and which might even be remaining population unless some sort of suitable for reintroduction, if it comes to that. suitable ecological management can be So far all attempts to conserve P. compressus devised. have failed completely, and The Waterways
Maiden Pink, Dianthus deltoides I appealed for records of Dianthus deltoides in the same habitat. If anyone can describe and got a superb response from the the geology as well, that would be ideal. membership, including new records for 10km squares. Thank you! County Recorders can view all the records for their counties on Dianthus deltoides in Britain. Post-1990 the BSBI web site – just follow the links to records only, for natural or semi-natural the TPDB and select D. deltoides records in locations. your patch. However, I did not get any ecological data this way, and I hope I can persuade recorders to fill in some of the gaps.
Unlike so many of our rare and BAP species, Dianthus deltoides is a native of a typically native habitat. It grows in short grazed grassland over outcrops of Dolerite; on sandy soils in coastal and inland locations; and on eroded river shingles and cliffs. These habitats would always have existed since the last Ice Age, so it seems safe to assume it is a truly wild plant.
It has experienced a severe decline in recent decades. Even including all introduced populations and garden escapes, the number of hectads in which D. deltoides is recorded has fallen from 273 before 1990 to just 62 since then – nearly an 80% crash. If you take th 20 century records only, the number has fallen from 205 to 62 – a 70% decline. If you If we do not understand the ecology of a exclude the introductions, there may now be species such as Dianthus deltoides , we have fewer than 56 10km squares for this species no real chance of conserving it. Being a left in Britain, and that is made up of only 73 typically British plant (not Irish, I’m afraid, tetrads. This places it firmly within the but more Scottish and Welsh than English) it Scarce category, and it is declining fast. is of course omitted from the BAP and the Red Data Book, which tend to concentrate on Not all the dots shown below are for sites archaeophytes and other aliens of greater where it is accepted as a native in the rarity. The problem with being omitted from forthcoming Atlas, but I do wonder how the Biodiversity Action Plan is that there are these decisions are made. What would be no legal instruments to encourage most useful is an ecological description of conservation. This is reflected in the fact the sites in which it occurs. A list of all that, although the government is spending species within 1m or so would be useful, huge sums on money on agricultural plus a fuller list of everything else growing subsidies to conserve upland grasslands in
AONBs and other conservation schemes, which no-one else can provide. Please see if most of this money goes into high-nitrate you can visit your nearest D. deltoides site intensive farming of these grasslands, to next year and let me know everything you encourage grass – i.e. Lolium perenne - can about it. rather than the native vegetation that one One final request, if I may? Please look out would expect them to conserve. And, of for Orobanche rapum-genistae in the course, Dianthus deltoides , possibly the most vicinity of Dianthus deltoides – in the same characteristic species of upland acid general area, that is. I would like to know if grasslands, is never mentioned by DEFRA at there is much similarity in their habitats. all. This is an opportunity for the BSBI to provide information that has real value, but Thank you.
Dianthus deltoides (all records)
MSc in Biological Recording Sarah Whild
It is a common complaint of employers and took place last year. Students attend for nine students alike that identification skills are weekends a year and are required to study rarely taught on undergraduate ecology such subjects as managing data, research programmes. To get to the level where ID techniques, databases, and other aspects of skills are of any practical use would take a academic study. The identification of large proportion of the entire syllabus, and difficult plants is also obligatory (there are there are so many other skills that are a lower plant and invertebrate options too); but higher priority. Nevertheless, a lot of people we’re not talking critical groups here – that are now working in jobs where some may always have to be a non-vocational botanical knowledge is useful and really calling! One particularly popular subject is good botanical knowledge would be a real the formulation of scientific argument. asset. The sad truth is that you could get away with being a local records centre The benefits to the BSBI are two-fold. manager or even an Area Officer in one of Firstly, many of the students join the society the Country Agencies without knowing a and contribute to its activities. Secondly, the sedge from a sedge warbler, but many of the standard of botanical work is enhanced by more talented people in such jobs are keen to good-quality training, often delivered by take up natural history knowledge as part of members of the BSBI. The environmental their continuing education programme, and sector (in particular biological recording) has many employers are willing to pay for this. grown so rapidly in recent years that it wouldn’t be possible to find enough people The joint initiative between the BSBI, the with the right skills, but this life-long University of Birmingham and the Field learning approach seems to be the right one. Studies Council has filled the gap very nicely. The programme has now been For more details, contact Linda Marsh at the expanded to three more levels of academic University of Birmingham, The Gateway, achievement, leading eventually to a MSc in Chester Street, Shrewsbury SY1 2JL Tel. Biological Recording. The first intake of 01743 355137 [email protected] . fourteen students onto the MSc programme
The Arable Weeds Survey 2002 Alex Lockton
The arable weed survey in 2001 was we can monitor particular fields to see hampered by foot & mouth , but several how they change over time. recorders still sent in results. One of our ambitions for the survey was to collect There is not going to be a full-scale arable data from all over Britain & Ireland, and I survey in 2002, but a small band of am pleased to say that we received data enthusiasts has formed and we shall from, among other places, Cornwall, continue to work on this subject. This is Kerry and Caithness, so that objective one of the advantages of undertaking looks realistic. As far as I can ascertain, thorough surveys of properly localised there is no other arable data set with fields – they will always be repeatable, comparable coverage. The first stage for and it does not matter whether they are us is to establish which species can occur done simultaneously or not. It is very in fields throughout this area, then we can robust data. Basically, the secret is to look for the fields with the widest, or record all the plants in the ploughed part largest, populations of them. And finally, of the field, with notes on abundance and anything else of interest.
Arable site recording form Use this form if you want to – any piece of paper, with the same information, will do.
Name of Farm Status SSSI / CWS / other: GR of field Vice county: Recorder’s name(s) Date(s) of survey Size (ha) and description of field
Management
Ownership details
Crop Any other information Species list
Please return completed forms to Alex Lockton, 66 North Street, Shrewsbury, SY1 2JL
Threatened Plants Database Alex Lockton
We still need your help with records for the records of half a dozen species, including Threatened Plants Database. The database Pilularia globulifera and Dianthus deltoides . itself is fully ecological, holding site information for any rare plant locality. This The structure of a database as complex as the includes, where possible, full site lists TPDB creates great confusion among people (preferably of all vascular plants, bryophytes who are only familiar with simple mapping and stoneworts) and NVC communities. software. The ‘black & white’ certainties of Each site has a short description of a few the Atlas are replaced with a whole range of lines. greys. Did the original recorder mean here or there when they wrote “opposite New Inn?” The following list shows all the TPDB If Lord de Tabley left the county in 1873 and species, and records of these are always died in 1874, is it reasonable to leave the greatly welcomed. Please note that records date of his Cheshire records as 1899, or must be sent to the coordinator, Alex should we move them back to one of the Lockton, and not to BRC at Monks Wood. earlier dates? And do we believe any or all of All the data on the TPDB is made available Miss Hillard’s Hayling Island records? to county recorders, the Country Agencies, and to the BRC; but records do not flow so Your input is vital for this process. It is well in the other direction. So if you don’t astonishing what information can turn up want to send in records twice, please send when you start looking closely at the data. them to us! In most cases, Local Records Many questions take time to resolve. It can Centres would charge us for access, and we be a challenge to realise that the data in the can’t afford that, so sending records to them Atlas – which we have always assumed was does not do the job, either. perfect and true – can be as much as 40% incorrect at the 10km scale and over 90% If you would like to see more of the TPDB, a incomplete at finer scales; but this opens up a sample of the data can be viewed on the web fascinating new opportunity to make a real site, available via the BSBI home page contribution to botanical knowledge. Please, www.bsbi.org.uk or directly www.tpdb.org . carry on recording and researching the old This web site gives you full details of all records, and keep sending us information of all sorts.
The TPDB Species (in checklist order) Chara baltica Athyrium flexile Ulmus plotii C. canescens Cystopteris dickieana Chenopodium chenopodioides C. connivens C. montana C. vulvaria C. curta Woodsia ilvensis Atriplex pedunculata Lamprothamnium papulosum W. alpina Arenaria norvegica ssp. Nitella gracilis Dryopteris cristata norvegica N. tenuissima Juniperus communis A. norvegica ssp. anglica Nitellopsis obtusa J. communis ssp. communis Minuartia rubella Tolypella intricata J. communis ssp. alpina M. stricta T. nidifica Nuphar pumila Holosteum umbellatum T. prolifera Pulsatilla vulgaris Cerastium nigrescens Lycopodiella inundata Ranunculus arvensis C. fontanum ssp. scoticum Diphasiastrum complanatum R. reptans C. brachypetalum Isoetes histrix R. ophioglossifolius Sagina nivalis Ophioglossum lusitanicum R. tripartitus S. saginoides Pilularia globulifera Adonis annua S. boydii Trichomanes speciosum Fumaria occidentalis Scleranthus perennis ssp . Asplenium trichomanes ssp. F. reuteri perennis pachyrachis F. purpurea S. perennis ssp. prostratus
Corrigiola litoralis S. cernua Seseli libanotis Herniaria glabra S. rosacea ssp. rosacea Meum athamanticum H. ciliolata S. cespitosa Physospermum cornubiense H. ciliolata ssp. ciliolata Rubus arcticus Bupleurum falcatum Polycarpon tetraphyllum R. trelleckensis B. baldense Spergularia bocconei R. dasycoccus B. rotundifolium Lychnis viscaria Potentilla fruticosa Trinia glauca L. alpina P. rupestris Apium repens Silene otites Alchemilla glaucescens Petroselinum segetum S. gallica A. monticola Selinum carvifolia S. conica A. subcrenata Peucedanum officinale Petrorhagia nanteuilii A. acutiloba Tordylium maximum P. prolifera A. gracilis Torilis arvensis Dianthus gratianopolitanus A. minima Centaurium scilloides D. deltoides Pyrus cordata C. tenuiflorum D. armeria Sorbus domestica Gentianella ciliata Persicaria mitis S. pseudofennica G. anglica Koenigia islandica S. arranensis G. anglica ssp. cornubiensis Polygonum maritimum S. leyana G. uliginosa Rumex aquaticus S. minima Gentiana pneumonanthe R. rupestris S. anglica Gentiana verna Limonium binervosum agg. S. leptophylla G. nivalis Armeria maritima ssp. elongata S. wilmottiana Polemonium caeruleum Elatine hydropiper S. eminens Lithospermum Hypericum linariifolium S. lancastriensis purpureocaeruleum Lavatera cretica S. vexans Echium plantagineum Althaea hirsuta S. subcuneata Pulmonaria obscura Tuberaria guttata S. bristoliensis Myosotis alpestris Helianthemum apenninum Cotoneaster cambricus Cynoglossum germanicum H. canum ssp. levigatum Astragalus alpinus Stachys germanica Viola rupestris Oxytropis halleri S. alpina V. canina ssp. montana O. campestris Galeopsis segetum V. lactea Anthyllis vulneraria ssp. G. angustifolia V. persicifolia corbierei Teucrium chamaedrys V. kitaibeliana Lotus angustissimus T. scordium Frankenia laevis Ornithopus pinnatus T. botrys Salix lanata Vicia parviflora Ajuga chamaepitys Matthiola sinuata V. bithynica Clinopodium menthifolium Arabis glabra Lathyrus palustris Thymus serpyllum A. alpina Ononis reclinata Mentha pulegium A. scabra Medicago polymorpha Salvia pratensis Draba aizoides Trifolium glomeratum Limosella australis Cochlearia officinalis ssp. T. strictum Veronica fruticans scotica T. incarnatum ssp. molinerii V. triphyllos C. micacea T. bocconei V. verna C. atlantica Cytisus scoparius ssp. maritimus V. spicata ssp. spicata Thlaspi perfoliatum Genista pilosa Melampyrum cristatum Coincya monensis ssp. monensis Lythrum hyssopifolium M. arvense C. wrightii Ludwigia palustris M. sylvaticum Phyllodoce caerulea Buxus sempervirens Euphrasia rivularis Erica ciliaris Euphorbia peplis E. vigursii E. vagans E. villosa E. pseudokerneri Pyrola media E. hyberna E. cambrica Moneses uniflora E. platyphyllos E. marshallii Diapensia lapponica E. serrulata E. rotundifolia Primula scotica Polygala amarella E. campbelliae Ribes alpinum Eryngium campestre E. heslop-harrisonii Crassula aquatica Scandix pecten-veneris Bartsia alpina Saxifraga hirculus Bunium bulbocastanum Rhinanthus angustifolius S. rivularis Sium latifolium Orobanche purpurea
O. rapum-genistae S. cambrensis C. recta O. caryophyllacea Tephroseris integrifolia ssp. C. microglochin O. reticulata maritima Leersia oryzoides O. artemisiae-campestris T. palustris Festuca longifolia Pinguicula alpina Homogyne alpina Poa flexuosa Campanula patula Luronium natans Koeleria vallesiana C. persicifolia Alisma gramineum Deschampsia setacea Phyteuma spicatum Damasonium alisma Corynephorus canescens Lobelia urens Hydrilla verticillata Hierochloe odorata Galium constrictum Scheuchzeria palustris Calamagrostis purpurea G. pumilum Potamogeton nodosus C. purpurea ssp. phragmitoides G. tricornutum P. epihydrus C. stricta G. parisiense P. rutilus C. scotica Linnaea borealis P. compressus Mibora minima Lonicera xylosteum P. acutifolius Phleum phleoides Valerianella rimosa Najas flexilis Bromus interruptus V. eriocarpa N. marina Anisantha madritensis Cirsium tuberosum Zostera marina Cynodon dactylon Centaurea cyanus Eriocaulon aquaticum Lloydia serotina C. calcitrapa Juncus compressus Gagea bohemica Arnoseris minima J. capitatus Polygonatum verticillatum Hypochaeris glabra J. pygmaeus Maianthemum bifolium H. maculata J. filiformis Muscari neglectum Scorzonera humilis Luzula pallidula Allium ampeloprasum var. Lactuca saligna L. arcuata babingtonii Cicerbita alpina Eriophorum gracile A. sphaerocephalon Crepis foetida Trichophorum alpinum Leucojum aestivum ssp. aestivum C. praemorsa T. cespitosum ssp. cespitosum Asparagus prostratus Pilosella peleteriana ssp. Eleocharis austriaca Romulea columnae peleteriana E. parvula Gladiolus illyricus P. peleteriana ssp. Scirpoides holoschoenus Cypripedium calceolus subpeleteriana Schoenoplectus triqueter Cephalanthera longifolia P. peleteriana ssp. tenuiscapa Blysmus compressus C. rubra P. flagellaris ssp. bicapitata Cyperus fuscus Epipactis youngiana Hieracium tavense Schoenus ferrugineus E. leptochila var. dunensis H. radyrense Kobresia simpliciuscula Epipogium aphyllum H. asteridiophyllum Carex appropinquata Spiranthes aestivalis H. cambricum C. vulpina S. romanzoffiana H. cillense C. muricata ssp. muricata Liparis loeselii Filago lutescens C. chordorrhiza Hammarbya paludosa F. pyramidata C. davalliana Dactylorhiza incarnata ssp. F. gallica C. elongata cruenta Gnaphalium norvegicum C. lachenalii D. incarnata ssp. ochroleuca G. luteoalbum C. depauperata D. lapponica Pulicaria vulgaris C. flava Neotinea maculata Aster linosyris C. ornithopoda Orchis ustulata Erigeron borealis C. humilis O. militaris Artemisia norvegica C. filiformis O. simia A. campestris C. atrofusca Himantoglossum hircinum Otanthus maritimus C. rariflora Ophrys sphegodes Chamaemelum nobile C. buxbaumii O. fuciflora Senecio paludosus C. norvegica
Alex Lockton
Fumaria purpurea at Duck’s Nest Hill, Trebellan, Cornwall Is it an arable weed, or is it a hedgerow plant? That depends on whether you are in Scotland or England. In Scotland it grows in arable fields and vegetable gardens, whereas in southern parts of England it prefers the undisturbed soils of ancient, species-rich hedgerows. In Wales it is only known as a casual plant of waste ground.
BSBI Volunteers Officer £20,000 per annum
The Botanical Society of the British Isles, the Society that gives all who enjoy wild flowers the opportunity to share their enthusiasm, is seeking to employ a botanist with good experience of plant recording to energise its recorders network to deliver “Making it Count for People and Plants,” a three-year joint project with Plantlife.
The post-holder will co-ordinate the generation of rare plant registers at county level and their monitoring, and will co-ordinate a repeat survey of the BSBI Monitoring Scheme for indicator species.
The post-holder is likely to be based at home, with some flexibility as to hours worked. To receive an application form please apply to the address below. The closing date for applications is 6 th March. Interviews will be held in London on 20 th March.
Ailsa Burns, 3 Rosliston Road, Stapenhill, Burton on Trent, Staffordshire, DE15 9RJ [email protected]