GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post

Mike Lyle[_1_] · 30-01-2011, 10:36 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening

On Sun, 30 Jan 2011 16:41:12 +0000 (GMT), wrote:

In article ,
Mike Lyle wrote:

English bluebells are a big responsibility: the Brit Isles have most
of the world population, and they are vulnerable to hybridisation.

Well, yes and no. They are merely a subspecies, with only 11,000
years of difference from the Spanish. In terms of importance,
that is negligible on a global scale - it's primarily a concern to
parochial English botanists.

This _isn't_ the global scale, though. You wouldn't say "Knock down a
few English cathedrals: they're only a sub-species of the continental
ones." The English bluebell is valuable plant in its own right,
differing very significantly from the Spanish in aesthetic terms. It
may well (I don't know) also play a role in our ecosystems that the
Spanish one can't: 11,000 years is quite enough to bring that about.

Note that I'm taking your word for its "mere" sub-species status on
trust: I wouldn't believe it from any old poster, as it seems
unlikely, and it's the first I've heard of it. Again, there's been
time since the last Ice Age for speciation.

The same applies to several other endemic British species, like
the red grouse. I agree that we should avoid destroying them, but
we shouldn't start confusing molehills with mountains.

Have they made the red grouse back into a species again? I missed the
memo.

--
Mike.