The E in the title is taken from New Flora of the British Isles Edition 3 and it means that Clive Stace regards this plant as extinct in the wild. Schoenoplectus pungens is actually a rescued species having disappeared from its known haunts and then reintroduced from original stock to the Sefton Coast dune slacks. I understand from Sefton coast botanists that this plant has now spread naturally to other parts of the dune system closer to the sea so unlike some other "gardening" experiments so favoured by conservationists it seems to have worked as intended. So is a species which has seeded itself from re-introduced stock introduced? Surely not. And is it extinct? Obviously not but I'd like to get photo of the self seeded plant to be sure.

Schoenoplectus pungens was discovered in 1909 and known from both Jersey and the Sefton coast but by 1972 it was another native species lost to our flora.

Sefton Coast, Lancashire 27th June 2007

Added on 2nd August 2007, updated 31st January 2012