Honewort

Scientific name: Trinia glauca

Status: Nationally rare

Flowering time: Small white flowers May – June

Description: Grows up to 34 cm with small white umbrella-like flowers. Separate male and female plants, pollinated by ants. Plants die after flowering, but may take up to 16 years to flower.

Social history: This plant was first found in the Avon Gorge in 1562 by the famous botanist William Turner, author of the first English herbal (a guide book for the medicinal use of plants).

Taxonomy: Apiaceae (or carrot) family

Global and national distribution: Only remains in limited sites in southwest England. Found across southern Europe and in southwest Asia. The Avon Gorge is the northernmost place it grows.

Threats: Shading out from scrub and tall plants. Requires open limestone sites to maintain viable populations, and benefits from grazing. Single-sex plant pollination requirements make survival difficult.

Photographs: © Denice Stout.