Field Fleawort (Tephroseris integrifolia)
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: | Tephroseris integrifolia subsp. integrifolia |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Tephroseris integrifolia |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (L.) Holub |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | in Stroh et al., 2014 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | in s41 as Tephroseris integrifolia subsp. integrifolia which is the sole native subspecies in England (Stroh et al. 2014). |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Assessed as VU in England (Stroh et al. 2014), due to a decline in AOO of 38%. The entire GB population is within England, and a revision of the GB Red List (Stroh et al. in prep) demonstrates a continued decline that merits an assessment of EN, with the main cause considered to be undergrazing/neglect (Stroh et al., 2017). |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Tephroseris integrifolia depends on a grazing regime that produces a tightly cropped sward by the end of the growing season. It also has a short-lived seed bank, and has a half-life of c.13 years. As such, undergrazing, or neglect, over a relatively short period of time can lead to the loss of this species. |
| 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: | This is a nationally scarce species restricted to ancient, unimproved calcareous grassland (often ancient hill forts). It is very unlikely that it will spread to new locations naturally. However, the species may benefit from general work to address Nitrogen pollution, as would many other small plant species of open niches |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 5. Remedial action identified |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Life history factor/s |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - sufficient |
| Species Comments: |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: At extant sites, continue to provide appropriate grazing and management to maintain the short, species-rich grassland the species requires. This grazing regime should if possible include extensive summer grazing with cattle in some years. Expand and enhance suitable grazing and awareness raising with land managers at these locations
Action targets: 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites: Chalk download sites in Bedfordshire (e.g. Knocking Hoe; Barton Hills), Cambridgeshire (Devils Dyke), Hertfordshire (Church Hill), Wiltshire (Steeple Langford Down, Yarnbury Castle)
Comments:
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: At sites where the species has not been recorded this century, and where grazing is considered suboptimal or is absent, reinstate an appropriate grazing regime, ideally with a mix of cattle and sheep, and with some summer and spring grazing, such that the spread of competitive grasses (e.g. Brachypodium pinnatum s.l.; Bromopsis erecta) is controlled. In most years, an average sward height of c.5-8 cm is desirable by the end of the growing season.
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites: Dunstable Downs (Bedfordshire), Cockey Down, Fovant Down, Parsonage Down, Pepperbox Hill, Scratchbury Hill (Wiltshire),
Comments:
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Undertake studies to investigate flowering/seeding/recruitment potential at extant sites.
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: Knocking Hoe, Barton Hills, Church Hill, Steeple Langford Down
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.