Fringed Gentian (Gentianopsis ciliata)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Vascular plant > flowering plant > Herbaceous plant |
| Red List Status: | Critically Endangered (Not Relevant) [CR(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | Included in the baseline Red List Index for England (Wilkins, Wilson & Brown, 2022) |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | Gentianella ciliata, Gentiana ciliata |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Gentianopsis ciliata |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (L.) Ma |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | in Stroh et al., 2014 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | UKSI lists separetly to Gentianella ciliata in error |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | CR in GB & England. Confined to one locality in Britain, where highly sporadic in appearance & covering c. 30 x 30metres only |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Ecology not fully understood, but likely to involve targeted heavy grazing in particular seasons to maintain favoured short turf |
| 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): | 2. Biological status assessment exists |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Life history factor/s |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - sufficient |
| Species Comments: | Extremely rare in Britain, confined to a single site in Chilterns, where first discovered in 1875 (new to Britain) & later rediscovered in 1982. During 1980s, population numbered up to 50 or 150 plants on occasion, now typically present in single figures only. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Monitor plants on annual basis, precisely recording fate of individual plants to establish phenology / longevity etc. Record total population size, successful seed set, vegetation structure (e.g. height, % of open micro-sites) & general site conditions (e.g. soils & geology).
Action targets: 3. National Monitoring Plan agreed and implemented
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: 1 site
High priority sites: Bacombe & Coombe Hills SSSI
Comments:
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Maintain & (if necessary) maintain sustainable grazing regime at Coombe HIll to ensure maintenance of short open sward with micro-sites for plant establishment & growth
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: 1 site
High priority sites: Bacombe & Coombe Hills SSSI
Comments: Gentinopsis ciliata likely to favour short to very short turf, with some microsites for seedling establishment.
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Undertake management trials to maximise area of ground suitable for G. ciliata at Coombe Hill, including scrub clearance, mechanical creation of scrapes. tight mowing/strimming of sward, & vigorous raking.
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Habitat creation
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: 1 site
High priority sites: Bacombe & Coombe Hills SSSI
Comments: Gentianopsis ciliata appears to occur within a narrow band at the boundary of various chalk strata with the overlying clay-with-flints. This interface extends for over 500 metres along the hill crest, & efforts should be made to ensure that all grassland here is in optimum condition for G. ciliata.
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.