Bastard Balm (Melittis melissophyllum)
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: | Melittis melissophyllum |
| 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: | VU in GB & England. Widely scattered in Cornwall & Devon (W of River Exe), otherwise very rare in Somerset, Dorset, Hampshire & Sussex |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Targeted management (coppicing, tree felling, management of ridesides / road verges etc) may be necessary in more easterly sites outside strongholds of Devon & Cornwall |
| 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: | Sympathetic, active management of woodland likely to benefit species, particularly in stronghold areas |
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 one of open, managed deciduous woodland on light mildy acidic soils. Whilst plants are probably long-lived, it can respond well to management, germinating freely from seed: however survival of seedlings in formative years depends on management of ground vegetation & limiting of leaf litter deposition. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Monitor a sample of populations in stronghold areas, and all populations in non-stronghold/vulnerable areas. Record number of flowering & non-flowering plants, plus condition of sites.
Action targets: 3. National Monitoring Plan agreed and implemented
Action type: Targeted monitoring
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites: Post-1980 sites in Dorset, Hampshire, Somerset & Sussex
Comments: Record number of flowering plants, presence of seedlings / non-flowering plants, site conditions incl. light levels, density & cover of ground vegetation & leaf litter
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Manage selected English populations (particularly outside strongholds of Cornwall & Devon) through programme of woodland thinning & glading; introduction of wood meadow management of ground vegetation (including leaf litter) etc.
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 20 sites
High priority sites:
Comments: Species responds positively to woodland management work that increases light levels, creates niches for seedling establishment, & controls vigorous competitive ground flora species
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Research seed longevity (in soil seed bank etc) & undertake management at former sites to restore 'lost' populations
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites:
Comments: Focus on sites outside core range, in counties such as Dorset, Hampshire & Sussex.
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.