Coral-necklace (Illecebrum verticillatum)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Vascular plant > flowering plant > Herbaceous plant |
| Red List Status: | Endangered (Not Relevant) [EN(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: | Illecebrum verticillatum |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | L. |
| 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: | EN in GB & England. Stable or increasing in Dorset, the New Forest & the Thames & Wealden basin where its status as a native have been questioned. Rare & declining in Cornwall |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | In vulnerable areas of Cornwall, the species is undergoing a significant & long-term decline |
| 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: | Maintenance or reinstatement of traditional management on commons, village greens & heaths (through a long continuity of moderate to heavy grazing). |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 6. Recovery solutions trialled |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Medium-high |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | The species is considered native in Cornwall, though its status in south-central England is questioned. It was discovered new to the Thames Basin in 1891 (Berkshire) & the New Forest in c. 1920, & has continued to spread in this region. Likely to respond well to targeted conservation management |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Monitor a sample of populations in stronghold areas, and all populations in non-stronghold/vulnerable areas, every <5 years. Assess population size & review condition of microhabitats in which it grows
Action targets: 3. National Monitoring Plan agreed and implemented
Action type: Targeted monitoring
Duration: 6-10 years
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites: West Penwith, Hensbarrow & Bodmin Moor (Cornwall).
Comments: Whilst the species is on the increase in south-central England, it remains rare & declining in Cornwall.
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Trial management. Within its Cornish range attempt to recover colonies at historic locations by restoration of pools where these have been lost to succession or infilling. Restoration of unsurfaced tracks close to former locations through scraping and encouraging usage.
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites:
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.