Cornish Biodiversity Network - Supporting Wildlife Recording
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
Native; a Mediterranean-Atlantic annual plant of Cornwall, Devon, Isles of Scilly, the
Channel Islands, and southern Hampshire. In the British Isles Early Meadow-grass is at the extreme northern limit of its range.
Regional Distribution
Widespread along the south coast of Cornwall from Rame Head (SX44) to Mullion (SW61), plus isolated sites in West Penwith (SW42, SW32 and SW33), Upton Towans (SW54), West and East Pentire (SW76) and around the mouth of the River Camel estuary (SW97). On the Isles of Scilly it is common on every inhabited island.
Habitat & Ecology
A plant of sandy and gravelly open areas, tracks, gateways, paths, especially around the coast. It does best in shallow soils, so it is often frequent around shallow rocky outcrops along well-trampled tracks and pathways.
Threats
The re-planting of grasses at Lizard Green has threatened this classic site. It is also
threatened by the loss of pathways.
Conservation
Some sites are protected.
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.