Juniperus communis subsp. hemisphaerica
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Vascular plant > conifer > Shrub/sub-shrub |
| Red List Status: | Critically Endangered (Not Relevant) [CR(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | (none) |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Juniperus communis subsp. hemisphaerica |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (C.Presl) Nyman |
| 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: | CR in GB & EN in England. Species confined to a single native site, plus a single reintroduction site. Total population of naturally occurring plants numbers c. 13 individuals |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Yes. Population numbers 13 naturally-occurring plants, & recovery likely to comprise mix of in-situ & ex-situ activity to restore population |
| 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: | No |
| Justification: | This species would not benefit from untargeted management |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 5. Remedial action identified |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Relict or natural rarity |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Structured - sufficient |
| Species Comments: | Confined to single site in coastal heathland on Lizard (Cornwall). Recent natural regeneration from seed has not been observed, but population has been bolstered through introduction of ex situ raised plants to general locality. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Monitor sole native English population & reintroduced populations on a 1-3 year basis, assessing health of individual bushes, ensuring sex of each bush known, & general structure & condition of the coastal heathland in which plants grow. Review key actions / proposed management in light of findings.
Action targets: 3. National Monitoring Plan agreed and implemented
Action type: Targeted monitoring
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: 1 site
High priority sites: West Lizard SSSI.
Comments:
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Ensure ideal management of heathland in which natural & introduced colonies lie, managing appropriate levels of grazing & introduce programme of mechanical interventions (cutting / scraping) to encourage natural regeneration from seed.
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: West Lizard SSSI.
Comments: Heathland populations of J. communis are especially vulnerable to burning, whilst the bushes within the West Lizard SSSI have proved especially attractive to grazing cattle. Experience gained from creating open & bare conditions for seedling establishment at chalk grassland sites for J. communis in southern England since c. 2010 should be trialled on the Lizard.
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Produce a recovery plan for the English populations, including potential reinforcement from ex situ raised material to improve sex ratios within particular sub-colonies, gene flow across the overall population & improved fruit production of viable seed. Insight into the genetics of the populations may inform future management.
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: Ex situ conservation
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: West Lizard SSSI
Comments: Conservation of the extant natural population may be enhanced by ex situ measures to improve male to female sex ratios, positioning of plants of opposite sex, linking isolated populations / individuals with new 'infill' populations etc. Such issues should be reviewed & implemented as appropriate.
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.