Rare Plant Register for Huntingdonshire - Botanical Society of the ...

Gymnocarpium dryopteris (L.) Newman
Oak Fern
National Status: Not scarce, not threatened County Status: Rare (1 site, 1 tetrad)
Woodwalton Fen SSSI & SAC,
Compartment 71
Site Grid Reference Last Record
40
TL23_83_ 2011 (MM)
An astonishing discovery (first found in 2008), given the extreme rarity of this species across
much of England. Fifty-eight fronds were counted in 2010. While the precise location of this
species can be provided on a need-to-know basis, it has been decided that given the
potentially precarious status of this one colony/clone, the provision of a precise grid reference
might be ill advised.
Hieracium spilophaeum Jord. ex Boreau
Spotted Hawkweed
National Status: Not known County Status: Rare (1 site, 1 tetrad)
Site Grid Reference Last Record
Norman Cross Pits TL162907 2010 (NC)
Sell & Murrell (2006) describe this species as probably introduced. Given the inherent doubt
in this assessment of status I prefer to take a precautionary approach and treat it as native
until there is strong evidence to the contrary. Its native distribution in Europe is not known.
Even if non-native in Huntingdonshire, it is likely to be difficult to determine whether it is an
archaeophyte or a neophyte. A small colony grows in an open sward of Brachypodium
pinnatum agg. at the old Norman Cross brick pits.
Hieracium umbellatum L. ssp. umbellatum
Umbellate Hawkweed
National Status: Not scarce, not threatened County Status: Rare (3 sites, 4 tetrads)
Site Grid Reference Last Record
Conington, by the railway TL202831 2009 (SL)
Holme Fen SSSI TL198895
Woodwalton Fen SSSI & SAC,
Compartment 85
TL200897
2009 (DB)
2009 (DB)
TL2383 1996 (TW & SW)
Our plant appears to conform to var. commune. It is abundant along the ride to, and around
the periphery of, Compartment 3, Holme Fen and this population has an important role to play
in the maintenance of this species in the county. The one plant recorded at Conington may be
a recent colonist, perhaps facilitated by the movement of trains along the railway, from Holme
Fen, although there are also historic records for this general area. It has also been recorded
from East Field, Monks Wood but I have not seen it there and there are no recent records.