Alpine Sow Thistle

On precipitous ledges and cool gullies in the Eastern Grampian Mountains of Angus and South Aberdeen there lives a rare alpine plant called Cicerbita alpina or Alpine Sow Thistle. This plant has survived since the last ice age but is currently classified as vulnerable. The Eastern Grampian Mountains are its only stronghold within the UK and Alpine Sow Thistle has gradually been forced into the most remote places where it is protected from sheep, deer and mountain hares. It can be found in only four locations within these mountains between 600m and 1000m. It usually lives on North facing ledges or ravines where snow is plentiful and provides water in the spring to nourish new shoots. It is unfortunate that the plant has been forced into such extreme sites for protection as the current populations suffer from the exposure and the plants appear battered with browning leaves. There is concern that with climate change the habitat for Alpine Sow Thistle will be reduced resulting in further losses. Other threats are rock falls, and population isolation, which can lead to seed infertility. The Alpine Sow Thistle presents us with a frightening look at the impact of grazing on Scotland’s wildlife, in which many plants can only survive in the most remote and precarious locations.

Bibliography:

Alexander, L. Action Plan Research on Alpine Blue Sowthistle, C. alpina. Report to Scottish Natural Heritage.

Lusby, Philip and Wright, Jenny. Scottish Wild Plants: Their History, Ecology and Conservation. Mercat Press, 2001.