It’s almost bluebell season, when we walk through woodlands cloaked in carpets of the trademark late spring flowers. But do the bluebell woods we visit harbour English bluebells or Spanish varieties, which it is feared will reduce our native variety?
INDIGENOUS: Native bluebells have deep violet-blue tubular-bell flowers on drooping stems
Common bluebells are a protected species in the UK – it’s against the law to intentionally pick, uproot or destroy bluebells – but Plantlife, the wild plant conservation charity, says they are partly threatened by the escape of the Spanish bluebell from gardens and subsequent cross-breeding and loss of true native populations.
Spanish bluebells have broader leaves and have pale blue, white or pink conical bell flowers on upright stems, with flowers all around the stem, and no scent. “Hybrid forms could potentially oust native bluebells and so we advise against growing Spanish bluebells so they can’t cross pollinate with native bluebells, changing the iconic bluebell woods we all enjoy,” Hunt says.
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