The UK Native Seed Hub at Kew Gardens is working to conserve the endangered wildflower Rapunzel, which is found at only eight sites in East Sussex with a total population of less than 300 plants. Experiments have succeeded in breaking the seed's dormancy and the first mature plants flowered last summer. Seeds are now being propagated and new populations established to expand the plant's range and prevent its local extinction. The work involves seed collection, cultivation, habitat management trials, and collaboration with conservation organizations to help wildflower species like Rapunzel have "happy ever after" outcomes.

1. Happy ever after?
Like a knight in shining armour, Kew’s UK Native Seed Hub is coming to the
rescue of a damsel in distress – Andrew Jackson relates the Rapunzel story
Today, Rapunzel is known at only
eight sites in East Sussex and, due to its
restricted distribution, small population
size and decline,it is classed as endangered,
with a high risk of local extinction. Four
of the sites have fewer than ten plants
each, and the total wild population in
Britain is less than 300 plants.
Rapunzel is a long-lived herbaceous
perennial and is found in the UK in damp,
acidic soils along streams, verges and in
coppiced woodland.A decline in woodland
management at some locations, which
has increased the level of shade, is
exacerbating its decline. Attempts to
conserve and restore the species are
further complicated by a lack of seeds,
complex dormancy mechanisms that
prevent germination, and grazing of
the young seedlings by slugs and snails.
The UK Native Seed Hub, based
at Wakehurst Place, is working with
conservation organisations and
landowners to expand existing populations
and reintroduce the species to sites from
which it has been lost. Stephanie Miles,
UK collections co-ordinator for Kew’s
Millennium Seed Bank, began this work
with new wild seed collections in 2011.
Experiments by Kew staff have succeeded
in breaking the seeds’ dormancy through
prolonged chilling, and the first mature
plants flowered at Wakehurst last
summer. Having developed reliable
propagation and establishment methods,
we can now produce a much larger
number of plants for reintroduction
‘Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair.’
An enchantress, a lonely childless couple
and a desperate deal that seals a seemingly
unhappy fate – for centuries we’ve sent our
children off to sleep with rich storytelling
that both excites and frightens them, and
embeds cultural identity and a moral code.
Some 40 years after being singularly
frightened by such tales, I have revisited
the story of Rapunzel to understand why
it’s the common name of one of the rarest
plants being conserved by Kew’s UK Native
Seed Hub. It is only found in East Sussex
today, where its creamy-white flower
spikes make it a truly beautiful wild plant
and worthy of comparison with the
fabled beauty of Rapunzel.
Famous for engendering manic
cravings, pregnancy is at the start of the
Rapunzel fairy tale. The expectant mother
is so taken by a plant in her neighbour’s
garden that she must have it, at any cost,
even ‘to the point of death’. The Rapunzel,
or rampion, is the object of her desire.
Her husband is compelled to collect it for
her, as it was thought to be dangerous
not to satisfy these food cravings. When
stealing it, on the third night, her husband
is caught by the neighbouring enchantress.
Desperate not to suffer the consequences,
he agrees to hand over the child, at birth,
to be raised as her own.
At12 years old,the beautiful daughter
Rapunzel is locked away in a remote,
stairless tower in the middle of the woods.
The most famous line from the story comes
from when the enchantress visits Rapunzel
and calls out: ‘Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let
down your hair, so that I may climb the
golden stair.’ Of course, after much
angst and agony, the story does end
happily ever after.
Reviewers of the Grimm brothers’
story describe links to earlier and similar
tales, where parsley was craved during
pregnancy. Others make a link between
medicinal herbs used in pregnancy, and
suggest the enchantress was a witch or
medicine woman. The Grimm brothers
kept their own dictionary, which includes
several plant species that could be the
Rapunzel, including one that bears the
common name in Britain today – Phyteuma
spicatum. On the Continent it’s known
as white Rapunzel, while its other British
common name is spiked rampion.
This plant was first noted in Britain
as a cultivated plant and the description
in Gerard’s Herball of 1597 states: ‘Some
affirme that the decoction of the roots are
good for all inflammation of the mouth
and almonds of the throte and other
diseases happening in the mouth and
throte,as the other Throte warts.’ Rapunzel
was then first recorded as a wild plant in
Britain in 1640 and in Sussex in 1824.
There are about 40 species of
Phyteuma in Europe and western Asia.
The only other species found in Sussex,
round-headed rampion (P. orbiculare),
has been designated the county flower.
Also known locally as the pride of Sussex,
its deep-blue flowers are a treasured
feature of the South Downs in summer.
BEHIND THE SCENES
–– Andrew Jackson is head of Wakehurst Place
and was a finalist in the 2012 Garden Media
Guild’s Garden Columnist of the Year
»» For more information, go to www.plantlife.
org.uk and search for ‘rapunzel’
to the wild. Plants will also be grown
and harvested in our production beds to
provide a secure, genetically diverse source
of seeds. We will also experiment with
sowing, planting and habitat management
techniques to discover exactly what the
Rapunzel needs to thrive. Management
work, to achieve optimum conditions,
is being carried out at all eight sites
with the help of Wakehurst staff.
Ultimately, Kew’s UK Native Seed
Hub aims to enable ‘happy ever after’
outcomes for as many of our wildflowers
as possible – not just the rare or the
beautiful, but all the species that
contribute to the tapestry of wild plant
diversity. Kew’s expertise in seed
conservation, horticulture and restoration
supports the ongoing work of many
partner organisations, including the
Species Recovery Trust, Plantlife, Sussex
Wildlife Trust, Natural England, the
Forestry Commission and private
landowners. Plant conservation is most
effective and ultimately sustainable when
carried out in partnership with others.
Please visit the UK Native Seed Hub
at Wakehurst for yourself and seek out
the beautiful Rapunzel and our many
other enchanting native wild plants.
Growing up to 95 cm tall,
the Rapunzel’s flower
spikes are a bewitching
sight in early summer –
and one that looks set to
become less rare, thanks
to ongoing conservation
and restoration efforts
w w w. k e w. o r g
w a k e h u r s t v i e w
Photo:blickwinkel/Alamy
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