Conservation of Britain’s biodiversity: Status of the rare English endemic Hieracium surrejanum (Surrey Hawkweed; Asteraceae)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33928/bib.2026.08.014Keywords:
IUCN threat status, lectotypeAbstract
Hieracium surrejanum F.Hanb., Surrey Hawkweed, is a rare endemic confined to Surrey and Sussex in South-east England. Lectotypes for H. surrejanum and var. megalodon E.F.Linton are designated. The two varieties were compared and were found not to merit separation. A review of the herbarium, database and literature records indicated 13 confirmed sites and 12 unconfirmed or rejected sites. A field survey of all sites in 2025 found 1481 plants in 5 populations with 88% of the total population in one site; it was not refound in 8 sites (61% decline). It is a woodland edge species mostly occurring on roadside banks and cuttings on free-draining, mildly acid soils in partially shaded situations. It qualifies as IUCN threat status ‘Vulnerable’ under Criterion B2ab(iv).
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