Rare Rock Whitebeam Planted on Teesdale Cliffs
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- Rock whitebeam (Sorbus rupicola) was successfully propagated from seeds collected in autumn 2022 from a wild riverside outcrop along the River Tees, a challenging process due to the fruit's sticky consistency.
- Kew Gardens' Millennium Seed Bank received and processed the collected seeds, supporting the long-term conservation strategy for this rare shrubby tree found in only a few UK locations.
- NPNL staff Will and Adam carried pot-grown rock whitebeam saplings to a secluded limestone quarry at Bowlees, selecting inaccessible ledges five metres up the cliff face for planting.
- Bowlees Wildflower Nursery germinated additional rock whitebeam seeds locally, enabling the re-establishment initiative to proceed with nursery-raised plants alongside those supported by Kew.
- The planting sites were chosen for their inaccessibility to grazing animals like sheep and rabbits, with some saplings placed in moist, moss-lined crevices and others on sunny ledges sheltered by dog rose thickets.
Why it matters: This reintroduction directly increases the wild population of a critically rare native tree, expanding its range beyond a handful of isolated UK sites. The use of both Kew’s seed banking and local nursery efforts creates a replicable model for conserving other edge-dwelling, grazing-sensitive species in protected landscapes.
