Corrigiola litoralis ssp litoralis Strapwort RRR D N
This small, prostrate annual species is a Schedule 8 protected plant which has recently become even more threatened. The shingle is decreasing as other vegetation takes over and cattle no longer trample the edges of the Ley which is a freshwater lake very close to the sea. A road which runs along the shingle bank has already been diverted because of erosion by the sea and urgent sea defences would be needed to prevent this happening again in the near future.
A decision by government not to reinforce the shingle to prevent further erosion means that sooner rather than later the sea will win the battle and the lake will become a saltwater inlet.
The Strapwort will then become extinct as it is known as a native only from this site here in Britain although it thrives elsewhere in the world on sandy or gravelly banks near rivers and lakes. If you would like to see this insignificant but rare British plant then don't leave it too long. The estimate by locals is that within ten to twenty years the bank will be inundated and Corrigiola litoralis ssp litoralis will then be extinct in the British Isles.
This year (2009) the plant was thriving with about 40 separate plants at the site we visited.
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| Corrigiola litoralis ssp litoralis | Corrigiola litoralis ssp litoralis | Corrigiola litoralis ssp litoralis |
Slapton Ley, Devon 12th July 2009
Added on 14th July 2009, updated 20th March 2010