Irish lady's tresses  (Spiranthes romanzoffiana)

Irish lady’s tresses is an important plant as the UK and Ireland populations are the only remaining examples of the species surviving in Europe. Although the UK Biodiversity Action Plan lists the use of fertilisers and herbicides as possible threats, the main threat seems to be too little or a lack of grazing in Scotland, which allows taller competitive vegetation to invade the sites.

Irish lady’s tresses is listed in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan and is included in Plantlife’s Back from the Brink conservation programme. A survey in 1995 - 1996 by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh for Scottish Natural Heritage, turned up more specimens of this species than were previously thought to exist. Although the UK and Ireland sites represent the entire European population of this species, at present just under half of its sites in Scotland have statutory protection. It is therefore of paramount importance that the sites are protected and their management, and that of the surrounding land, is altered to suit the species.

Part of the plan to preserve this species is to encourage more landowners, on whose property the flower grows, to adopt more traditional grazing regimes that would benefit this plant, hopefully supported by one of the agri-environment schemes designed to help many of our threatened plants. It is also likely that studies will also be carried out to discover why the UK’s plants do not seem to be able to cross-pollinate and produce seed. This will involve studies of populations in Ireland and Northern Ireland, as well as the populations of this lovely orchid in North America.