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Winter 1999CONSERVING OUR RAREST PLANTSSpecies Action Plans for Vascular Plants on the Sefton Coast Article by Dr Philip H Smith MBE The recently published Biodiversity Audit of North West England lists 474 vascular plants (flowering plants, conifers and ferns) of "conservation importance". No fewer than 145 of these occur on the Sefton Coast. Whittling them down to a manageable number for Species Action Plans has been a daunting task. The first two were easy as they are highlighted as "UK Priority Species". They are the Dune Helleborine Epipactis leptochila var. dunensis, a nationally rare orchid that is quite widespread on the Sefton sand-dunes, and the Isle of Man Cabbage Coincya monensis sub-species monensis. The latter has a large population on dunes at Southport Marine Lake, but is otherwise only found locally in two areas at Hall Road and Crosby Marine Park where plants were introduced in 1992 from a site destroyed by development. The Isle of Man Cabbage is only known from Britain (i.e. it is endemic), and is restricted to about 22 localities in the west. A short-list of another 19 plants that seemed to merit special conservation measures was drawn up and draft Species Action Plans for 11 were written during 1999. They are all nationally rare or nationally scarce plants for which the Sefton Coast is particularly important. In addition, their status is pretty well known and, in most cases, their habitat requirements well understood. A prime candidate is the Baltic Rush Juncus balticus with its only English localities at Birkdale. This plant has been the subject of three major surveys, so we know a good deal about it. Also of great significance are two Baltic Rush hybrids, one with Soft Rush Juncus effusus, the other with Hard Rush Juncus inflexus. The Hard Rush hybrid is endemic and is found as a single patch at Birkdale, its only other British site being at St. Anne's-on-Sea. The Soft Rush hybrid no longer occurs in the wild but, as with the other hybrid, has been transplanted to several slacks in the dunes. Another group of very rare hybrids is represented by the willows Salix x angusensis, S. x doniana and S. x friesiana. The first and last of these have recently been identified at St. Anne's but, apart from the Sefton Coast, are only known from single Scottish localities. Studies have begun to clarify their status on our sand-dunes. Two of our rarest plants are grasses. Early Sand-grass Mihora minima has been described as "the smallest grass in the world'. A national rarity, it was found as recently as 1996 growing by the side of Southport Marine Lake. The beautiful Grey Hair-grass Corynephorus canescens is ofticially described as "nationally scarce", being found mainly in East Anglia. On our coast it occurs plentifully on Southport & Ainsdale Golf Coursc. Smooth Rupturewort Herniaria glahra is anothcr East Anglian rarity first recorded in 1988 on sandy roadside verges at Kenilworth Road, Ainsdale. It is still doing well there and has also turned up at Westcliffe Road, Birkdale. Perhaps the rarest of all is Sharp Club-rush Schoenoplectus pun gens. It was originally collected on the Sefton Coast in 1909. Its only other British location is a pond in Jersey where, however, it has not been seen since the 1970s. Sharp Club-rush has been maintained on the dunes by transplantation but has recently spread naturally to the Birkdale "green-beach". Finally, there is the attractive pink-flowered coastal form of Hedge Bindweed Calystegia sepium sub-species roseata. This nationally scarce plant occurs near to west coasts. In our area it is only known from Hightowo where a single patch was discovered in 1982. In drawing up Species Action Plans for the conservation of these plants, several basic principles arise. They are:
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