Friday 6 July 2012

Rare red helleborine orchid blooms in Cotswold woodland


An "extremely rare and endangered" orchid which was once on the brink of extinction in the UK is blooming again in Gloucestershire.
Red helleborine, Cephalanthera rubra, is normally found in Europe where it is classed as "vulnerable" and only exists on three sites in southern England.
Seven years ago there were only three plants at the National Trust site in the Cotswolds.
Now, following conservation work there are some 30 plants at the location.
National Trust countryside ranger Tim Jenkins said although the species had been recorded in the beech woodlands site - which he asked the BBC not to identify - for some 70 years, it was only in recent years that the number of plants had increased and they were starting to flower regularly.
He said little was known about the precise habitat and growing conditions so conservation work was going on at the site in an attempt to optimise the surroundings to allow the orchid to flourish
"We don't fully understand how the plant reproduces here as the particular bee that normally pollinates it [in Europe] is not found in the UK.
"We've tried manually pollinating the orchid and even taking cuttings but we've not had any luck yet but we are sharing our knowledge with experts at Kew Gardens and Natural England.

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