A Hoary Rock-rose (Helianthemum oelandicum subsp. levigatum)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Vascular plant > flowering plant > Shrub/sub-shrub |
| Red List Status: | Vulnerable (Not Relevant) [VU(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | (none) |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Helianthemum oelandicum subsp. levigatum |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (M.Proctor) D.H.Kent |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | in Stroh et al., 2014 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | Helianthemum oelandicum is D5 listed |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | VU in England, endemic and confined to three sugar limestone outcrops on Cronkley Fell in Upper Teesdale where it is estimated that there are 300-1200 plants. There have been no comprehensive surveys but the population appears to be stable |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | An extreme calcicole restricted to open, eroded patches of sugar limestone. The entire population occurs within grazing enclosures within extensively grazed moorland vegetation. Note that a European taxonomic study is underway to assess the relationship of subsp. levigatum with other closely related taxa. |
| 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 species would not benefit from untargeted management |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 4. Autecology and pressures understood |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Relict or natural rarity |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Combination - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | Population probably stable but detailed baseline needs to be established to ensure future changes can be monitored |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Detailed census of entire population needed
Action targets: 3. National Monitoring Plan agreed and implemented
Action type: Status survey/review
Duration: 1 year
Scale of Implementation: 1 site
High priority sites: Cronkley Fell
Comments: The Teesdale Flora project is undertaking detailed mapping of all Teesdale rarities and this may have already provided a sufficient baseline (although only presence in 10m grid cells and not population counts)
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Ex-situ production of plants for introduction to other suitable outcrops locally
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: Ex situ conservation
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
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.