Fat-leaved Hawkweed (Hieracium leyanum)
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: | Hieracium leyanum |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (Zahn) Roffey |
| 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: | Predominantly Brecon Beacons endemic (8 mostly extant sites) but with only one historic 1892-1905 site in England at Red Daren, Herefordshire and not refound (Rich et al. 2007; the Birdlip site is now known to be Hieracium elizabethae-reginae); thus currently thought to be extinct in England but practical to restore though probably low priority given extent and stability in Wales. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | A reintroduction programme is required; Welsh seed available in Millennium Seed Bank. |
| 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: | would benefit reduction in grazing at landscape scale in Black Mountains. |
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: | few specialist hawkweed surveyors; distinctive stylose species. Given frequency in Wales probably low priority for hawkweed conservation |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Reintroduction programme from Welsh seed at Red Daren required.
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: (Re-)introduction
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: 1 site
High priority sites: Red Daren
Comments:
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Promote awareness of the group amongst landowners, understanding of conservation requirements amongst conservation professionals and identification skills amongst field botanists e.g. via BSBI training resources and workshops
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Advice & support
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 100 sites
High priority sites:
Comments: generic action
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.