Copse-bindweed (Fallopia dumetorum)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Vascular plant > flowering plant > Herbaceous plant |
| Red List Status: | Vulnerable (Not Relevant) [VU(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: | Fallopia dumetorum |
| 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: | Assessed as VU in England (Stroh et al. 2014) & only present in 20 hectads post 2000. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | A species of edge habitats (e.g. hedges, wood margins etc) & probably requirement conservation management to ensure survival |
| 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: | Effective woodland, hedge & road verge management (to create bare /disturbed soil conditions) could reverse fortunes of this species. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 4. Autecology and pressures understood |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Medium-high |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | A vigorous annual climber of dry silt/sandy soils, that responds well to management & disturbance |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Undertake a full survey of all extant & recently lost sites (perhaps post 1970) to assess extent of colonies & current condition of sites
Action targets: 3. National Monitoring Plan agreed and implemented
Action type: Status survey/review
Duration: 2 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 50 sites
High priority sites: Wealden Basin, Thames Basin etc
Comments: The scattered nature of colonies of this species, combined with its erratic appearances make this a difficult taxon to survey - but a full understanding of its current distribution is urgently required
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Undertake experimental field trials to understand ecology & to elucidate best management practice. Trials should seek to restore lost populations from dormant seed alongside extant sites
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 20 sites
High priority sites: Wealden & Thames basins, Kent, Frilford-Tubney areas
Comments: Species reappeared in Kent in 1990s at sites last recorded in 1875, 1948 & 1970.
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Liaise with woodland managers, highways authorities etc. & provide detailed management recommendations to ensure appropriate knowledge is available for sustainable management of sites
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: Advice & support
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 50 sites
High priority sites:
Comments: The nature of preferred habitats for this species means that few sites lie within the protected sites network, & survival depends on sympathetic incidental management of boundary habitats.
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.