Hope for rare woodland flower as Scottish conservation project is roaring success in the Cairngorms National Park

Hope for rare woodland flower as Scottish conservation project is roaring success in the Cairngorms National Park - Plantlife

The UK’s first ever conservation project for One-Flowered Wintergreen has resulted in a 70% survival rate after the crucial first 9 months
Estimated that half of UK population of this flower has been lost over last 50 years
Project success lays the groundwork for a bright future for Scotland’s rare plant species

The rare and illusive One-flowered Wintergreen Moneses uniflora, a small flowering plant found in pine woodlands, has defied expectations of Plantlife Scotland and partners in the UK’s first ever project to restore the species. One-flowered Wintergreen has seen a 70% survival success rate following a translocation (movement of a species from one location to another) from a secure population of the species in Roseisle Forest and Old Grantown Wood to RSPB Abernethy, led by Plantlife Scotland.

A close up image of a white flower — One-flowered Wintergreen. Credit: Keilidh Ewan

The flower has suffered a sharp decline globally and it is estimated that in the last 50 years over half of the UK population has been lost, with only two known remaining patches in the Cairngorms National Park and as few as just seven populations in the whole country.

Instead of relying on photosynthesis to create energy to survive, One-flowered Wintergreen can also take energy from fungus in woodland soils (known as a partial-mycoheterotroph). This complexity means it has been a challenge for conservationists to understand it and help it thrive again.

Alongside the translocation, 12 of the collected plants were sent to the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh for research into the complex fungal interactions that One-flowered Wintergreen relies on to survive. There have been further breakthroughs in our understanding about the plant during this project. Trials of cattle grazing and invasive species removal in woodland generated a rapid recovery of One-flowered Wintergreen, suggesting this plant might prefer heavily disturbed woodland soils.

The pioneering conservation work for One-flowered Wintergreen is part of the Cairngorms Rare Plants project and is a cause for celebration for Plantlife and its partners – RSPB Scotland, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, NatureScot, Forestry and Land Scotland and the Cairngorms National Park Authority