A RARE plant that was on the brink of extinction 15 years ago has been reintroduced at Charterhouse.
Starved wood-sedge, a grass-like species that is only found in three places in Britain, has been planted near the golf course of the school’s 215-acre estate thanks to a campaign by charity Plantlife.
Pupils will now join staff in taking care of the specimen, and it is hoped that the species will take root and establish itself at Charterhouse once again.
David Williams, the institution’s bursar, said: "We are delighted to see a plant that was historically here being reintroduced into the banks of the school. I hope that with the careful management by our grounds team it will once again flourish."
Dominic Price, species recovery officer at the charity, added: "It is a rare step for Plantlife to consider reintroducing a population of rare plants, but in this case the national outlook for the plants was so critical that we needed to throw a lifeline to the starved wood-sedge.
"The Charterhouse school site not only gives us a link to the past as a true historical home of the species, but it also now has the perfect habitat in which we hope the plants will thrive."
Starved wood-sedge is officially classed as endangered, and is protected under English law. A tall, grass-like plant, it has long leaves and tall stems with green flowers, and grows in dry, light soils in woodland, the shade of hedges, and at the edge of tracks or coppices.
Experts do not believe it has ever been common in Britain, but say it has faced an increasing threat of extinction because of the loss of its natural habitat.
About 15 years ago there was only one starved wood-sedge plant in the country, but the efforts of enthusiasts have helped to establish new colonies in Somerset and Ireland.
The species has a long history at Charterhouse, and a spokeswoman said it was a common sight in the woods there until the 20th century.
She added that when the institution’s estate workers joined the armed forces to fight in the Second World Warthe open and sunlit glades became overgrown, and were no longer a good habitat for the starved wood-sedge.
Plantlife is a Salisbury-based organisation that works to protect wild species. Formed in 1989 by Surrey-based Professor David Bellamy, the charity manages 4,500 acres of nature reserves, commissions research and tries to influence policy-makers.