Lloydia serotina

Lloydia serotina
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
Order:	Liliales
Family:	Liliaceae
Genus:	Lloydia
Species:	L. serotina
Binomial name
Lloydia serotina (L.) Reichenb. nom. cons.
Synonyms
Gagea serotina (L.) Ker-Gawl. Lloydia alpina Salisb.

Lloydia serotina is an arctic-alpine flowering plant of the lily family. It is the only member of the genus Lloydia to live outside central and eastern Asia, and is widespread across western North America, from Alaska to New Mexico, and in Europe is found in the Alps and Carpathians, as well as in Great Britain.

It was originally known as mountain spiderwort, but is now known in Great Britain as the Snowdon lily, or in Welsh as brwynddail y mynydd (meaning "rush-leaves of the mountain") ^[1]. In North America, it is called the common alplily.

For most of the year, the plant is only visible as long, curving, stiff, grass-like leaves, often protruding through cushions of other plants. The flowers appear from June onwards (despite the name serotina, meaning "late-flowering"), and are borne at the end of long stalks. The flowers themselves are white, with purple or reddish veins along the petals.

Side view of Lloydia serotina flower showing purple veins

In Great Britain, L. serotina is an ice age relict, only found on a few inaccessible sites in Snowdonia National Park, Cwm Idwal being one such site, and seems to have developed in isolation since the glacial period. Although the total Welsh population may number fewer than 100 bulbs, the Welsh plants are genetically distinct from other populations of the same species, and are more diverse than those found in the Alps ^[2].

While their inaccessibility protects the plants to a certain degree against grazing by sheep and trampling by hikers, they are likely to suffer under climate change, and it is believed that L. serotina will be the first plant to become extinct in the British Isles as a result of global warming. Plans are therefore being considered to introduce the plant to sites in Scotland, where it may survive in the longer term ^[3].

References

1. ^ Robin Gwyndaf (2006). The Mountain Man. A portrayal of Evan Roberts, Capel Curig, rockman, botanist and conservationist. Capel Curig: Friends of St. Julitta's Church. ISBN 0-9552995-0-0. 
2. ^ B. Jones, C. Gliddon & J. E. G. Good (2001). "The conservation of variation in geographically peripheral populations: Lloydia serotina (Liliaceae) in Britain". Biological Conservation 101 (2): 147–156. doi:10.1016/S0006-3207(01)00055-6. 
3. ^ Paul Brown (2003-03-27). "Global warming threatens Snowdonian plant". Guardian Unlimited. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,922734,00.html.