Species Action Plans - Sandy stilt puff-ball
(Battarraea phalloides)
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Click to view the Sandy stilt puff-ball Action Plan |
Current Status
National Status
- First noted in Britain in 1782 in south Norfolk. Subsequently recorded in a number of counties in southern England including Surrey, Kent, Avon, Gloucester and Suffolk
- Since the war it has been noted at three sites in Suffolk, but only one of these has seen the fungus persist and in any numbers. It is rare in Europe
Norfolk Status
- Formally described in 1785 from specimens from the Earsham/Kirby Cane area
- Noted near east Norwich and Stoke Holy Cross in the nineteenth century
- Three fruiting bodies noted in 1996 on a bank adjacent to the A140 Ipswich Road on the outskirts of Norwich, 1997, 53 and in 1998, 61 were recorded at this site
Current factors affecting the habitat in Norfolk
Little is known about this fungus, and its occurrences are so sporadic that it is possible that it has always been rare. It is therefore difficult to determine whether the species is declining or threatened. The current site is a steep bank at the rear of a highway verge in a built up area and is therefore vulnerable to the range of threats such verges are exposed to, although the steepness of the bank does confer a degree of protection. The only factors that seem to be common to all its sites are dry sandy soil and an aspect between north and east.
Current Action in Norfolk
Whilst the site is known in conservation/recording circles, it appears that only ad hoc monitoring is carried out. The site has been flail cut in spring.
Action Plan Objectives and Targets
Norfolk
- Maintain and protect the known site
- Extend the species’ distribution
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Send mail to scott.perkin@norfolk.gov.uk with questions or comments about this web site. This page was printed from the Norfolk Biodiversity Website : http://www.norfolkbiodiversity.org/