Fringed Rupturewort (Herniaria ciliolata subsp. ciliolata)
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: | Herniaria ciliolata subsp. ciliolata |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | Melderis |
| 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 NT in England, but recent anecdotal evidence suggests that the species is declining rapidly at inland sites. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Action urgently required at inland sites & in upper reaches of coastal valleys, where species appears to be declining fast |
| 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: | Increase management around serpentine & schist rock outcrops, combined with moderate to heavy levels of grazing likely to benefit species. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 5. Remedial action identified |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Medium-high |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | Herniaria ciliolata is relatively widespread (though largely restricted to) the Lizard coastline, & has received perhaps less attention than other classic Lizard rarities. Recent anecdotal evidence suggests decline from part of range, perhaps due to low grazing levels resulting in loss of bare early successional niches around rock outcrops. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Carry out a species review/status assessment to establish the number of sites, populations sizes and habitat condition. This should review all historic sites, with a particular focus on inland sites
Action targets: 3. National Monitoring Plan agreed and implemented
Action type: Status survey/review
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 20 sites
High priority sites: Lizard peninsula
Comments:
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Undertake research to assess impact of pleurocarpous moss growth & mor humus deposition on ability of species to survive & regenerate from seed
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 20 sites
High priority sites: Lizard peninsula
Comments: A current hypothesis suggests that development of a thin 'skin' of pleurocarpous moss & mor humus is reducing areas of bare, mineral soils & negatively impacting species' ability to regenerate / grow. This is supported by survey of rarer Lizard annuals by David Pearman, & observed impacts of appropriate management on some chalk grassland species such as Pulsatilla vulgaris by Plantlife.
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Create and maintain open habitat around rock outcrops & along coastal slopes through targeted management – e.g. grazing by livestock. Monitoring of impacts on target species should be undertaken & findings disseminated.
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: Unknown
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 20 sites
High priority sites: Lizard peninsula SSSIs
Comments: Action likely to benefit other small-growing annual species (e.g. Juncus capitatus, Trifolium bocconei, T. strictum)
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.