Dune Gentian (Gentianella uliginosa)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Vascular plant > flowering plant > Herbaceous plant |
| Red List Status: | Not Evaluated (Not Relevant) [NE(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | Gentianella amarella ssp. occidentalis |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Gentianella amarella subsp. occidentalis |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | T.C.G.Rich & McVeigh |
| 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: | In England Dune Gentian is restricted to Braunton Burrows where 43 individuals were recorded in four dune slacks in 2019. Historic records suggests it has been lost from a second site (Northam Burrows) and a few slacks at Braunton. Assessed as EN (GB) 2025 in press |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | This species relies heavily on rabbit/sheep grazing maintaining open conditions on the margins of dune slacks. |
| 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): | 4. Autecology and pressures understood |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Life history factor/s |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Structured - sufficient |
| Species Comments: |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Reintroduce livestock grazing to slacks where this species is known to occur in order to maintain open vegetation.
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: 1 site
High priority sites: Braunton Burrows
Comments:
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Trial the use of mechanical scaping to create open conditions that dune gentian needs for germination and establishment.
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: Habitat creation
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: 1 site
High priority sites: Braunton Burrows
Comments:
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.