199 Plant Species Recorded at Hooe Quarry

February 12, 2012 | By | 5 Replies More

A total of 199 higher plant species were recorded on the Hooe Quarry site and the fore shore (181 native species, 18 non-native). The site was considered to have a relatively high botanical diversity. Amongst the many notable species of which one in particular the Toadflax-leaved St. John’s-wort exists in only 17 sites in England. All plants are listed in Alphabetical order of the common name.  Hover your mouse over an image to see the Latin Names. Click on an image to enlarge. More details at the bottom.

There are many notable rare species found at the Hooe Quarry site:-
Toadflax-leaved St John’s-wort listed on the International Union for Conservation of Natures ( IUCN ) Red list of threatened species, Ivy Broomrape and Tree-mallow (tentative ID) – Nationally Scarce species
Bee Orchid and Crested Hair-grass –  Devon Notable 1 species
Annual Sea Blite, Greater Sea Spurrey, Prickly Lettuce, Pyramidal Orchid, Sea Fern-grass and Sea Purslane; Devon Notable 2 species along with Early Marsh Orchid (tentative ID), Sea Aster and Sea Couch

The Ecological Impact Assessment states…
‘There is the potential for site clearance and earth moving to lead to the permanent loss of the Nationally Rare and IUCN Near Threatened plant Toadflax-leaved St. John’s-wort, as well as all of the Nationally Scarce Ivy Broomrape plants (except those growing on the verge adjacent to Hooe Lake shore), along with the Devon Notable plant species Bee Orchid, Crested Hair-grass, Prickly Lettuce, Pyramidal Orchid and possible Early Marsh-orchid from the site.’

It would seem unlikely that any mitigation plan would protect such a varied selection of species and the wildlife that they support. No species list truly portrays the beauty of these plants so I have recorded them here out of interest and for posterity! Add your thoughts & comments below…

Category: Nature & Wildlife, Wildlife Photo's

Comments (5)

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  1. Mark and I says:

    In the 9-10 century plymstock was a very busy dock with shipping from all over, the parish’s of now plymouth was built on this wealth. Hooe and radford need to be preserved, it has unique plant and insect life diverse as it’s history

  2. rogers says:

    fantastic that someone has gone to all effort to record these plants and to upload their pictures. Very interesting.

  3. Peter T says:

    That’s the way of the world I guess – Money Talks! Another nail in the coffin for the declining wildlife in the area. The usual shortsightedness from Councillors & Planners alike – What a missed opportunity!

  4. Dennis palfrey says:

    These are nice plants and they sure did not waste any time cutting it all down!

  5. Julie Gott says:

    It is sad we may lose all these rare plant species…..why should the site be built on when it could become a nature haven for so many local schools and colleges?

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