English Sticky Eyebright (Euphrasia anglica)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Vascular plant > flowering plant > Herbaceous plant |
| Red List Status: | Endangered (Not Relevant) [EN(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | Euphrasia anglica, Glandular Eyebright |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Euphrasia officinalis subsp. anglica |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (Pugsley) Silverside |
| 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: | Assessed as EN in England on basis of AOO decline of 49% (using 1987+ data). This endemic eyebright is most often found in grazed grassland and heathland habitats on damp substrates, particularly the leached limestones around Cheddar (N. Somerset), and acidic granites around Dartmoor (S. Devon) and sandy heaths of the New Forest (S. Hants). Like many eyebright species, its need for conservation and potential for recovery has been rather overlooked. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | No |
| Justification: | This species will readily become established at suitable receptor grassland sites if introduced as part of a green-hay/brush-harvested seed restoration programme. It therefore depends on careful collection of seed from known donor grassland sites. |
| 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: | Restoration of grassland habitats involving the translocation of green hay and brush-harvested seed from donor to receptor sites have proved to be very effective in establishing new Euphrasia populations. Such techniques could quickly increase the number of sites for this species when implemented through large-scale grassland restoration projects. |
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.