Taxonomic information
Common Name: English Sandwort
Latin Name: Arenaria norvegica ssp. anglica
Family: Caryophyllaceae (Pink Family)
Description
English Sandwort. Image byPeter Corkhill (Natural England).
English sandwort (Arenaria norvegica ssp. anglica) is an endemic plant. Its worldwide population is confined to the Ingleborough area of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It is closely related to the Arctic sandwort (Arenaria norvegica ssp. norvegica), a montane subspecies found only at a few sites in northern Scotland.
English sandwort was first discovered by a botanist from Skipton on the railway track at Ribblehead station in July 1889. Initially there were doubts about the origins as it was found on a man-made surface. However, it was soon realised that all the stone was sourced locally and searches of the surrounding slopes of Ingleborough soon revealed thriving populations. Since its discovery this subspecies has had a chequered taxonomic history. Initially the specimens were thought to be a form of A. ciliate, and then they were re-identified as A. norvegica before being considered to be A. gothica (a rare sandwort found in southern Sweden). In the late 1950s English sandwort was finally classified as being a subspecies of A. norvegica. The endemic status of this plant along with the county connections associated with its discovery has resulted in many botanists referring to this subspecies as Yorkshire sandwort.
During a survey in 1995 English sandwort was recorded at 27 different sites in the Ingleborough area and its population was estimated to be up to 4,000 plants. It is difficult to accurately determine the status of this subspecies because its populations vary in size dramatically year on year, depending on prevailing weather conditions. In dry years, plants can be particularly difficult to locate and may remain absent for a number of years. However in wet Springs, the population increases and the plants re-colonise former sites. Due to limited seed production and dispersal, English sandwort is set to remain restricted to one very small area of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
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