A holly fern, a striking evergreen plant with glossy fronds edged like holly leaves, has been found growing in Cwm Idwal, a dramatic glacial valley in Eryri (Snowdonia), North Wales. The discovery comes more than 150 years after the species was last seen in the area.
The find was made by naturalist Jim Langley, who was leading a group of botanists when he spotted the unusual plant. “I have great interest in the arctic-alpine communities of Eryri and have been visiting these sites for many years,” he says.
"On this particular day I was leading a group to a well-known and studied site when a small, unusual fern caught my eye low down to the ground. We keyed it out in the field as I had two field botanists on my course and there was a buzz of excitement in the air.”
The holly fern is a slow-growing, long-lived species that thrives in cool rocky uplands, often in cliff crevices or limestone fissures known as grikes. While it remains more widespread in the Scottish Highlands and the European Alps, it has become increasingly scarce in England and Wales.
The plant's disappearance from Cwm Idwal is thought to have been driven by the Victorian fern-collecting craze known as 'Pteridomania', which stripped sites of rare species.
Its rediscovery suggests that the holly fern may be recolonising from spores carried within the national park, or that a hidden population survived undetected.
“This is a remarkable rediscovery," says Alastair Hotchkiss, the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland’s Wales Officer. "The cliffs around Cwm Idwal are seriously challenging terrain for botanists to explore, but the fact that this species remained undetected for over a century and a half is a powerful reminder of how much we still have to learn about our upland flora – and how much we still have to protect.”
Cwm Idwal, now part of Eryri National Park, is celebrated for its rare arctic-alpine plants including the Snowdon lily, tufted saxifrage and moss campion. The return of the holly fern adds to its reputation as one of Britain’s most treasured botanical landscapes.
“It’s encouraging to see that, despite historic losses and modern pressures, some populations of these charismatic ferns are hanging on," adds Hotchkiss. "We now have an opportunity to monitor this plant to ensure it’s not lost again.”
Top image: Cwm Idwal in Wales. Credit: Getty
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