Chaffweed (Centunculus minimus)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Vascular plant > flowering plant > Herbaceous plant |
| Red List Status: | Near Threatened (Not Relevant) [NT(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: | Lysimachia minima |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (L.) U.Manns & Anderb. |
| 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: | No |
| Justification: | Assessed as EN in England (Stroh et al. 2014) due to a decline in AOO (distribution) of >50% in the 20th century. However, using the most recent distribution data, it's clear that the diminished distribution of L. minima appears to have stabilised (trend 1987-2019; -1%) so that it will not qualify as threatened or near threatened in the revised GB Red List (Stroh et al., in prep). As a LC species, there are other species with a higher priority for conservation action. However, untargeted habitat management to provide more open ground could benefit the species and may address historic losses. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | No |
| Justification: | Although there was extensive decline historically, its distribution has stabilised/increased in recent decades, with many new locations found due to fuller recording. In fact, it is now present in as many hectads 2000-19 as it was 1930-69. |
| 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: | The species would benefit from the creation of open ground on heathlands and tracksides in its remaining strongholds, as for other species of this niche. It may also benefit from general work to address Nitrogen pollution, as would many other small plant species of open niches. |
Species Assessment
Not relevant as no Key Actions defined.
Key Actions
No Key Actions Defined
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.