Durham Rare Plant Register - Botanical Society of the British Isles

Cypripedium calceolus Lady’s SlipperCystopteris alpinaNational StatusCounty StatusCritically EndangeredRare, re-introducedNational StatusCounty StatusCritically EndangeredExtinctMagnesian limestone coastal denes. CastleEden Dene is the most well known andrecorded site, but there were also LadiesSlipper Orchids in Hawthorn Dene, and justpossibly in Horden Dene.Castle Eden Dene 1777 S Robson.“In the north branch of the dene called theBlack Dene, and in the main branch oppositethe Garden of Eden, also on the first greatwhite rock on the north side near the seacoast 9 th July 1797”, Winch, reported in 1832.The “Black Dene “ is probably the dene nowcalled Blunts Dene.In 1848 four plants were seen by R Carr.None could be found by R Burdon in 1856.The Burdon family, local landowners, hadbeen the custodians of the Ladies SlipperOrchids for many years, so this failure to findany plants is significant.Hawthorn Dene, LSO were seen by Mrs D MMetcalfe in the wild and in local greenhousesin the 1920s. Miss M Charlton had aspecimen picked for her by a local policemanon Whit Monday, 1926.“In another dene some miles further to thenorth [of Castle Eden Dene] Mr JohnCameron gathered it in 1874 and observed17 plants with MR E C Robson on a furthervisit (on a land slip on the southern side). F ALees 1875 and 1876. This is almost certainlyHawthorn Dene, but could possibly beHorden Dene.There are no recent records, despite carefulsearches.Dactylorhiza traunsteinerioidesNarrow-leaved Marsh OrchidNational StatusCounty StatusScarceRareRare in flushed grassland on magnesianlimestone coastal cliffs.Conservation All of the sites are within theDurham Coast SSSI. The Blackhall and BlueHouse Gill sites are also in a Durham WildlifeTrust reserve.1953 NZ4639Blue HouseGillJWHH andRichardson, J A05/07/83 NZ447427 Horden Point Lowe, M.R.17/06/90 NZ475385BlackhallRocks Mitchell, D.N.Conservation- The sites are in Castle EdenDene National Nature Reserve and inHawthorn Dene SSSI.