Intermediate Wintergreen (Pyrola media)
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: | Pyrola media |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | Sw. |
| 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: | Intermediate Wintergreen was formerly more widespread in England but is now confined to two, possibly three sites where population sizes are all less then 100 individuals (Darden Burn, Northumberland; Silpho Moor, Northeast Yorkshire; Keldy Bank, Northeast Yorkshire). It was assessed as EN in England due to an estimated population size of <250 individuals. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Recovery will require site-specific measures. |
| 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: | The species is too restricted to benefit from such schemes. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 2. Biological status assessment exists |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Relict or natural rarity |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - sufficient |
| Species Comments: |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: An assessment of the management needed to ensure its survival at the surviving sites and any threats that exist.
Action targets: 2. Biological status assessment exists
Action type: Advice & support
Duration: 1 year
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: Darden Burn, Silpho Moor, Keldy Burn
Comments:
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Assessment of reasons for loss at historic sites in England with a view to identify potential historic sites for reintroduction.
Action targets: 2. Biological status assessment exists
Action type: (Re-)introduction
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: As per study
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.