Tower Mustard action plan

Aims
1. To contribute to the conservation of this species in the UK through the maintenance of London's population.



Tower mustard (Arabis glabra) is a biennial plant of disturbed habitats on free-draining, sandy soils in grassy and wasteland places. It has smooth, grey-green leaves and produces pale yellow flowers on stems 30-100 centimetres tall. It is nationally scarce and declining, currently known from only about 30 sites in England. Its rarity and rather undistinguished appearance means that tower mustard is not a plant which often touches the public consciousness. It is not known to have ever had any significant culinary or medical use anywhere within its wide European range, though it is known to the Cheyenne of North America as a cure for the common cold.

There is one large population of tower mustard in Greater London, at Stain Hill Reservoir in the Borough of Richmond upon Thames. This is one of the largest populations in the country, surpassed only by couple of East Anglian sites. This site is in secure ownership and management, which this plan seeks to maintain. Other historical records have been traced, the majority of which are pre-20th century, and do not appear to offer scope for population restoration. The plan will therefore look to other ways in which Greater London can contribute to research on the species and to targets for population creation by introduction in the future.

Contact
The Lead for this habitat is London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames
Charlotte Williams
London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames
Room 213, Civic Centre
44 York Street
Twickenham
Middlesex
TW1 3BZ

Tel: 020 8831 6125
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.richmond.gov.uk