Huntingdonshire - Botanical Society of the British Isles

Last recorded in 1846 from Somersham and assumed long since extinct until re-found by MM
in 2008 at Woodwalton Fen. Also in 2008, populations of purported Oenanthe silaifolia just
over the county boundary in Northamptonshire were also re-identified as this species. As
such, there is evidence that the two species are not well understood in Huntingdonshire (see
also below) and it would not be entirely surprising if additional populations of O. lachenalii
were to be found over coming years.
Oenanthe silaifolia M. Bieb.
Narrow-leaved Water-dropwort
National Status: Nationally Scarce, Near
Threatened
County Status: Scarce (6 sites, 8 tetrads)
Site Grid Reference Last Record
Bluntisham, Berry Fen TL379745 2008 (BM & JM)
Hemingford Meadow TL3071 2009 (BS)
Holywell-cum-Needingworth, Meadow
Lane Gravel Pits
TL330704
2004 (BM)
Houghton Meadows Island TL292711 2004 (NM)
Huntingdon, Views Common TL228722 2004 (KW)
Portholme SSSI & SAC
TL236712
TL240704
2009 (DB)
2009 (DB)
St Ives Lagoon TL307724 2006 (JM)
This is a species of unimproved damp meadows, primarily hay meadows on riverside
alluvium, which receive calcareous floodwater in winter. Most plants are mown before
shedding seed but this is apparently not harmful although there is no second flowering or the
production of any further growth until the next winter rosette. It is eliminated by quite modest
agricultural intensification and ‘improvement’ is its downfall (Stewart et al. 1994). In light of the
recent rediscovery of O. lachenalii for Huntingdonshire, and the apparent poor local
understanding of how to distinguish the two species (Preston et al. (2002) acknowledge a
previous similar problem in Dorset), there is an urgent need to reappraise all pre-2009
records of O. silaifolia. It may be slightly over-recorded (i.e. rarer than currently thought).
While this is supposition at this stage, the possibility of O. lachenalii being present should be
considered when recording this species.
[Onobrychis viciifolia Scop., Sainfoin. Deleted from the Register. I am satisfied that none of
our populations are of the threatened native subspecies.]
Ornithogalum pyrenaicum L.
Spiked Star-of-Bethlehem
National Status: Nationally Scarce, not
threatened
County Status: Rare (1 site, 1 tetrad)
Site Grid Reference Last Record
Hail Weston, south of Huntingdon Wood TL 152617 1998 (PK)
Locally frequent just over the county border in Bedfordshire (VC30), it was first discovered a
few metres inside Huntingdonshire in 1952 near Hail Weston, where it still occurs. There was
another thriving colony further into the county at Little Paxton Wood but this has not been
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