Brown Galingale (Cyperus fuscus)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Vascular plant > flowering plant > Sedge |
| 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: | Cyperus fuscus |
| 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. Restricted to eight sites in Britain since 2000, but numbers at four sites very low in recent years. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Sites require targeted action to ensure that populations receive moderate to high levels of grazing & control of poolside emergents, scrub & trees, within ecologically-functioning systems particularly in large river systems and on grazed commonland. |
| 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: | Roll-out of traditional, heavy grazing on riverside commons could benefit the species. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 5. Remedial action identified |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Medium-high |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Structured - sufficient |
| Species Comments: | A diminutive annual typically found on peat/gravel substrates on commons / greens of rivers flowing off limestones. Has declined dramatically in four sites in recent years, though it has been rediscovered recently in one Dorset site, & has colonised new ground within a gravel pit near Marlow. Responds well to management. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Monitor all populations on <5 year basis, recording number of plants, sex ratio, presence of seedlings, vegetation condition & structure, management etc. Review management / key actions in light of findings.
Action targets: 2. Biological status assessment exists
Action type: Status survey/review
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites: Bere Stream SSSI. Gordano Valley SSSI. Staines Moor SSSI. Cock Marsh SSSI. Breamore Marsh SSSI. Avon Valley (Bickton to Christchurch SSSI). Dorney Common (Bucks). Little Marlow (Bucks)
Comments: With 50% of populations in unfavourable condition, frequent monitoring is essential to ensure that conservation action is undertaken in a timely manner.
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Ensure ideal management of commons, village greens & heathland in which natural & introduced colonies lie, ensuring open nature of favoured ponds through removal of scrub & emergents; encouraging appropriate levels of grazing; & introduce an effective programme of non-native invasive control.
Action targets: 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites: Bere Stream SSSI. Gordano Valley SSSI. Staines Moor SSSI. Cock Marsh SSSI. Breamore Marsh SSSI. Avon Valley (Bickton to Christchurch SSSI). Dorney Common (Bucks). Little Marlow (Bucks)
Comments: Cyperus fuscus favours open sites with heavy levels of poolside poaching & grazing by ponies & cattle. Many sites have suffered through decline & loss of traditional commonland management, with resultant increase in tree cover & deposition of leaf litter within ponds, leading to decline & loss of species
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Review all post 1940 sites where species is 'lost' or approaching extinction, to review options for major site restoration through tree removal; mechanical excavation of historic ponds (incl. potential re-shaping of waterbodies); review of hydrological regimes; & restoration of grazing regimes where possible. Such work should be considered at the landscape scale, restoring extensive grazed systems within larger rivers etc.
Action targets: 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales
Action type: Habitat creation
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: Shalford Common (Surrey). Staines Moor SSSI (Shortwood Common). Gordano Valley SSSI. Dorney Common.
Comments: Cyperus fuscus can survive for many decades within the soil seed bank & likely to return to lost sites if heavy restoration undertaken.
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.