2019

LVM Experts Find Evidence for Viability of a Rare Plant Growing in Sventāja Valley

Environmental experts of JSC “Latvia's State Forests” (LVM) in the ancient valley of the River Sventāja, south of vast forest masses, found proof of the only long-term deposit of a very rare plant species growing in Latvia, known as the Norfolk skullcap Scutellaria hastifolia L. The plant that is rarely to be found in the Baltic region, forms a rich and long-term deposit in the grasslands of the River Sventāja. Judging by the plant's vital vegetation, it feels good here and is a full-fledged member of the herbaceous plant population.

Once in the 1970s-1980s, the plant was registered by botanists of the Institute of Biology, which means that for at least 49 years it has been living in the Sventāja Ancient Valley, one of the oldest Curonian-populated areas in Latvia.

The Norfolk skullcap is a perennial, small (10-40 cm) Lamiaceae family herbaceous plant. Its stem is upright, with little branching, usually covered with fine hair. The leaves are elongated (length - 1.5-3.5 cm, width 0.5-1.5 cm), the edge of the leaf blade is smooth, and there are only 1-2 blunt little “teeth” at the base of the plant. The leaf blade itself is covered with short hairs, the base of the leaf resembles a spear. The blooms at the top of the stem are arranged in a dense bunch. The flower cup has a purple hue, the stem is covered with sticky hairs with a protrusion at the top. The crown is blue-violet, the stem long, with a hair ring inside, the lower lip gets lighter at the base. Fruit - a dark brown nut in the schizocarp. It flowers from June to August.

This plant species is found in Europe and Western Siberia. Latvia is the northeast border of the spread range of the rare plant. A well-known deposit is only to be found in the far southwest end of the country, where small groups of this plant grow on the banks and in the valley of the River Sventāja. In other parts of the Baltic region, the species is also found mainly in river valleys and along the sea coast.

It is similar to the Scutellaria Galliculata (the common skullcap). It can be recognised by the flower bunch stem at the top; the base of the leaf is spear-shaped (not heart-shaped), the leaf edge is smooth (not serrate), it is covered with sticky hairs (not with plain hairs or bare).

The Norfolk skullcap is a specially protected species in Latvia and a micro-reserve may be created to protect it.