Extinction rebellion as British bluebells repel invaders
THE swathes of bluebells that carpet Britain’s woodlands are one of the most spectacular sights of spring.
But experts feared they could be wiped out by the non-native Spanish bluebell.
Now a study has found the Spanish invader is less fertile than the British bluebell and has poorer quality pollen.
When hundreds of the two plants were cross-bred, the British version – which makes up almost half the world’s bluebells – was more likely to produce seeds.
The news has dispelled concerns that our indigenous flower would disappear altogether if breeding with open-petalled Spanish bluebells created a third ‘hybrid’ plant.
Professor Peter Hollingsworth, of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, said: ‘There have been concerns that they could become extinct, but our study shows that this is unlikely. We do see hybrids in nature but this should not lead to the native flower being completely “overwritten”.’
The study, in the journal Conservation Genetics, found most Spanish bluebells in the UK may already be hybrids, making them less fertile and unlikely to take over.