The descriptive text, below the map, is from the Cornish Red Data Book (2009). The map on this web page depicts the organisms distribution and shows the records made pre-2000 and those made since.
Range & Status
Discovered new to Britain at a single locality on Bodmin Moor in 2006 (Holyoak, 2007). This is its northernmost European locality, since it is otherwise known to occur sparsely in a band from Austria through S. Germany, France and Spain to C. Portugal. There are also widely isolated records in China and the eastern U.S.A.
Regional Distribution
Known from a single locality beside the De Lank River on Bodmin Moor.
Habitat & Ecology
Restricted to steep, damp, acidic soil on almost unshaded, low, partly bare banks of a small river. The plants grow in small patches and capsules mature in summer.
Threats
Its habitat on Bodmin Moor is potentially at risk due to river bank erosion by horses and cattle. The population is tiny, so thoughtless collection of specimens also poses a potential threat.
Conservation
The locality on Bodmin Moor is within a SSSI. In recognition of its rarity in Europe, the species is included on Annex 2 of the EC Habitats and Species Directive. It has also been proposed as an addition to Schedule 8 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act.
I.J. Bennallick, S. Board, C.N. French, P.A. Gainey, C. Neil, R. Parslow, A. Spalding and P.E. Tompsett. eds. 2009. Red Data Book for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. 2nd Edition.Croceago Press.
The Cornish Red Data Book Project was led by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Federation for Biological Recorders (CISFBR). The full text and species accounts (minus the maps) are available on the CISFBR website.