Marsh Clubmoss (Lycopodiella inundata)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Vascular plant > clubmoss > Clubmoss |
| Red List Status: | Endangered (Not Relevant) [EN(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | Included in the baseline Red List Index for England (Wilkins, Wilson & Brown, 2022) |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | (none) |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Lycopodiella inundata |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (L.) Holub |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | in Stroh et al., 2014 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | EN in GB (2023). Still thriving in New Forest & Dorset, but rare & declining elsewhere |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Targeted actions needed in non-stronghold areas where species is vulnerable to extinction. |
| Question 3: | At a landscape scale, would the species benefit from untargeted habitat management to increase habitat mosaics, structural diversity, or particular successional stages? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Continued expansion of traditional grazing & associated disturbance in current & former heathland areas likely to benefit species & to allow development of metapopulations. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 5. Remedial action identified |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Medium-high |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Combination - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | A short growing species of wet heath & valley mire, & mineral quarries in England, reliant on grazing and/or disturbance to maintain open conditions favoured by species. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Develop a standardised monitoring protocol suitable for the clonal nature of the plant and one which captures fecundity/recruitment. Monitor a sample of populations in stronghold areas, and all populations in non-stronghold/vulnerable areas on 3-5 year basis, assessing history of species at site & reviewing site conditions
Action targets: 3. National Monitoring Plan agreed and implemented
Action type: Targeted monitoring
Duration: 6-10 years
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites: Sites in Weald, Thames Basin, Devon, Cornwall, Norfolk & wider Lake District area
Comments: Many sites away from main heathland strongholds on areas recently disturbed by human activity (e.g. forestry rides, quarries & settling lagoons, horse riding routes), & perhaps transient in nature.
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Maintain / restore extensive heathland grazing at all extant & post-1950 sites, seeking to ensure sufficient microhabitats of seasonally-damp poached/disturbed microhabitats on peats & clays. Conservation efforts should seek to link isolated/scattered populations through establishment of larger grazing / management units.
Action targets: 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites: as for action 1
Comments: Targeted action in the Thames Basin Heaths (Hampshire), Hensbarrow (Cornwall) & elsewhere has resulted in restoration & expansion of small or 'lost' populations
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Through advice and support, provide guidance on habitat management requirements for this species at reclaimed sites (from mining, forestry, agriculture etc.)
Action targets: 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales
Action type: Advice & support
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites: China clay areas of Dartmoor, Bodmin Moor n& Hensbarrow NCAs
Comments: Some of England's largest populations occur within forestry plantation & mineral extraction sites & are especially vulnerable to destruction through site operations (and lack of conservation protection).
Acknowledgment:
Data used on this website are adapted from Threatened species recovery actions 2025 baseline (JP065): Technical report and spreadsheet user guide (Natural England, 2025). Available here.