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Ranunculus ophioglossifolius Villars Adder’s-tongue spearwort, Llafnyls Tafod y Neidr Ranunculaceae Status: Endangered [EN] Listed on Schedule 8 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act (1981) 2 / 4 (5) 10-km squares post 1987 Contents Status:................................................................................................................... 1 1. Morphology, Identification, Taxonomy & Genetics ............................................... 1 1.1. Morphology & Identification.......................................................................... 1 1.2. Taxonomic Considerations............................................................................ 3 1.3. Genetic implications .................................................................................... 3 2. Distribution & Current Status ........................................................................... 3 2.1. World........................................................................................................ 3 2.2. Europe ...................................................................................................... 4 2.3. United Kingdom.......................................................................................... 5 2.4. England..................................................................................................... 6 2.5. Northern Ireland......................................................................................... 7 2.6. Scotland .................................................................................................... 7 2.7. Wales........................................................................................................ 7 3. Ecology & Life Cycle ....................................................................................... 8 4. Habitat Requirements ..................................................................................... 8 4.1. The Landscape Perspective........................................................................... 8 4.2. Communities & Vegetation ........................................................................... 8 4.3. Summary of Habitat Requirements ................................................................ 9 5. Management Implications................................................................................ 9 6. Threats/ Factors leading to loss or decline or limiting recovery............................ 10 7. Research Information ................................................................................... 11 7.1. Research Data.......................................................................................... 11 8. References .................................................................................................. 12 9. Contacts ..................................................................................................... 13 10. Acknowledgments ........................................................................................ 13 1. Morphology, Identification, Taxonomy & Genetics 1.1. MORPHOLOGY & IDENTIFICATION Erect annual to 40cm; lowest leaves ovate, cordate, glabrous, +/- entire; stem-leaves broadly to narrowly elliptic, shallowly and distantly toothed; flowers 5-9mm across; sepals not reflexed; achenes c1.5mm, glabrous, with small tubercles on sides, with very short beak. [from Stace (1997) New Flora of the British Isles]. 1 Figure 1 - Ranunculus ophioglossifolius drawing (Danton & Baffray, 1995) Ranunculus ophioglossifolius, Adder’s-tongue spearwort, is a member of the Ranunculaceae (buttercup) family, and falls within the ‘spearworts’ section of the genus, represented in Britain by three other species: the Lesser Spearwort (Ranunculus flammula), the Greater Spearwort (R. lingua) and the Creeping Spearwort (R. reptans, Scotland only). The plant is an erect to procumbent annual, growing up to 40cm on the continent, though it is generally much smaller than this in Britain. It is only likely to be confused with the closely related Ranunculus flammula, from which it can be distinguished by having lower leaves ± heart- shaped, and upper ones are elliptical (generally narrower and lanceolate in R. flammula); smaller flowers (5-9 mm in R. ophioglossifolius as opposed to 7-25 mm in R. flammula); and minutely tuberculate achenes (the fruits of R. flammula are smooth). Figure 2 - Images of Ranunculus ophioglossifolius (http://linnaeus.nrm.se/flora/di/ranuncula/ranun/ranuoph.html) 2 1.2. TAXONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS The plants found at the only two remaining English sites are morphologically similar to the large flowered var. genuinus, but a taxonomic review of the species is required before firm conclusions can be drawn. Plants from Badgeworth have been shown to be genetically distinct from Portuguese material (Frost, 1981). 1.3. GENETIC IMPLICATIONS None. 2. Distribution & Current Status 2.1. WORLD Ranunculus ophioglossifolius is widespread in Northern Africa and across to Northern and Western Asia, though localised and declining in certain parts of its range. It is extinct in Jersey. Figure 3 – The World distribution of Ranunculus ophioglossifolius (Hulten & Fries, 1986) 3 2.2. EUROPE Adder’s-tongue spearwort occurs in south and west Europe, its range extending as far north as southern England and Sweden. It is a protected species in France, endangered in Sweden and extinct in Malta. Ranunculus ophioglossifolius is widespread in southern Europe from Spain to Greece and the Crimea, with disjunct populations in England and Gotland (Holland 1977). Figure 4 – European Distribution of Ranunculus ophioglossifolius (Jalas, J. & Suominen, J, 1972) Table 1 - The status of Ranunculus ophioglossifolius in Europe (*Country codes are taken from Flora Europaea 1964, with red data book listings where available [Definitions of the red list categories].) Country* IUCN Listing Notes Source(s) ALBANIA [Al] ISLAS BALEARES [Bl] UK [Br] EN Only occurs in England in 2 10-km Wiggington squares of the national grid, WCA (1999) Schedule 8. BULGARIA [Bu] CORSE [Co] CRETE (Kriti) [Also includes Karpathos, Kasos and [Cr] Gavdhos.] FRANCE [Ga] VU Olivier et al. (1995) GREECE [Gr] [Excluding Cr] SPAIN [Hs] [Excluding Bl but including Gibralter & Andorra] 4 Country* IUCN Listing Notes Source(s) HUNGARY[Hu] ITALY [It] LR, VU, EN Categories vary by region; Piemonte Conti et al and Molise = LR, Veneto = EN, (1997) Fruili-Venezia Giulia, Toscana, Marche, Abruzzo = VU YUGOSLAVIA [Ju] PORTUGAL [Lu] ROMANIA [Rm] Rs(W) [Moldavia, Middle Dnepr, Black Sea, Upper Dnepr] Rs(K) [Krym (Crimea)] SARDEGNA[Sa] SICILY/MALTA [Si] SWEDEN CR Gärdenfors [Su] (2000) TURKEY [Tu] Not listed Ekim et al (2000) 2.3. UNITED KINGDOM Ranunculus ophioglossifolius has always been a very rare plant in Britain, restricted to just four sites on mainland Britain, and a further site in Jersey. Today the species is restricted to two sites in the southwest of England, both in Gloucestershire: Badgeworth (Tewkesbury Borough) and Inglestone Common. It formerly occurred at two further sites on the British mainland, one in Dorset and one in Hampshire as well as at one site in Jersey. Of the two remaining UK sites the site at Badgeworth has a stable population that has been monitored and managed for many years. The colony at Inglestone Common is smaller and more sporadic, but there is no evidence to suggest that it has ever been larger. Figure 5 – UK Distribution map of Ranunculus ophioglossifolius. 5 2.4. ENGLAND The extinct and extant sites are summarised in Table 2. Table 2 - The present & former distribution of Ranunculus ophioglossifolius by site (after Rich 1993; Plantlife Report 126, 1999) First County Site name Last Recorded recorded Jersey St Peters Marsh 1838 1884 Dorset Woodsford, near Dorchester 1948 1950/1 Hampshire West of Hythe 1878 1914 Gloucestershire Badgeworth Nature Reserve 1890 Extant Gloucestershire Inglestone Common 1926 Extant St Peters Marsh, Jersey – In Jersey, the plant was first recorded in St Peter’s Marsh by C.C. Babington in 1838 “in the greatest profusion” (plants gathered by him before breakfast on 6 June 1838 were illustrated in Sowerby’s English Botany) and was last recorded in 1884; the marsh was drained in about 1885. Parts of the marsh still survive and the plant may reappear (Le Sueur, 1985). The plant could not be re-found on several occasions, and may be sporadic in occurrence depending on the right conditions (T. Rich, 1993). In 1928 it was found on the east side of Jersey at Grouville but was never seen there again (Frost, 1981). Woodsford, Dorset – Professor Ronald Good (1948) found R. ophioglossifolius in a wet and marshy area at Woodsford near Dorchester. No plants were found in 1966 and experimental clearing was carried out to no avail. In 1973 basic seed bank experiments were also unsuccessful in finding any R. ophioglossifolius. The site was eventually destroyed by road widening. Hythe, Hampshire – Groves (1883) read a paper on the discovery of Ranunculus ophioglossifolius new to Britain and displayed a specimen at the Linnaean Society on 18th January 1883. He reported that he had collected plants in 1878 near Hythe, South Hampshire, in an ‘out of the way’ place, and had originally mistaken them for R. flammula. The plants were not in great quantity and occurred in a small area. He noted that the plant differed from continental material with their less tubercled carpels. A later note by Baker (1914) noted that the plants were in a wet ditch west of Hythe. Badgeworth Nature Reserve, Gloucestershire – The classic