Taxonomy
Hippophae rhamnoides | Sea-buckthorn | Draighean mara
Distribution
Status
Conservation status
Not Assessed
Legal status
Third Schedule listed species under Regulations 49 & 50 in the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011. (Note: Regulation 50 not yet enacted). Listed as a schedule 9 species under Articles 15 & 15A of the Wildlife Order (Northern Ireland) 1985 (Article 15A not yet enacted).
First reported in the wild
1872
Invasiveness
Invasive species - risk of Medium Impact
Irish status
Established
Introduction pathways - 1
Release in Nature
Introduction pathways subclass - 1
Erosion control
Invasive score
14
NAPRA Ireland risk assessed
Yes. This species underwent a Non-native species APplication based Risk Analysis in 2014.
Overall risk of this species to Ireland is categorised as: MODERATE with a MEDIUM level of confidence.
Overall conclusion summary: The rapid spread of the plant once established in sand dune systems, coupled with its deleterious impact on this Annex I habitat presents a serious problem for Ireland in fulfilling its obligations under the Habitat Directive.
View the full risk assessment: http://nonnativespecies.ie/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Hippophae-rhamnoides-Sea-buckthorn1.pdfSpecies Biology
Identification
Deciduous, spiny shrub generally 3m tall, leaves 2-8cm long and lanceolate (Stace, 1997). Translucent orange fruits, 6-10mm in size (Stace, 1997).
Ecology
Forms dense shrub patches to the exclusion of native vegetation. particularly on vulnerable sand dunes (Reynolds,2002). Has rapidly expanded in parts of its native range, covering 2.4ha in 1957 to 60.9 ha in 1996 (Richards & Burningham, 2011). On dunes where it is present soil pH and carbon/nitrogen ratios are lower and organic matter content is higher than in grassland plots (Isermann et al., 2007). The dense shrubs cause a decrease in species number, due to a decline of grassland species found on open dunes (Isermann et al., 2007) and even in areas where H. rhamnoides has been removed these desirable species do not recolonise the area for a number of years (Richards & Burningham, 2011).
Habitat
Coastal
Reproduction
Dioecous, wind pollinated, flowers in winter and fruits in autumn (Preston, 2002), it also spreads by suckering (shoots which grow from a bud at the base of the shrub) (Reynolds, 2002).
Pathway and vector description
Planted in the late 1830s on sand dunes in Co Wexford (Reynolds, 2002). Spreads locally by self-seeding and suckering, large scale dispersal as a result of deliberate plantings for dune stabilisation (Reynolds, 2002).
Mechanism of impact
Competition
Broad environment
Terrestrial
Habitat description
Naturalised on sand dunes and sandy ground (Reynolds, 2002).
Species group
Plant
Native region
Europe, Temperate Asia
Distribution
World distribution(GBIF)
Irish distribution
Established - Widespread & Locally abundant. Common on eastern and northern coasts, largely absent from the west of Ireland.
Native distribution
Native to most of Europe, including Britain and into central Asia (Preston,2002)
Temporal change
Date of first record category
Pre-1900
Fifty year date category
1801-1850
Records submitted to Data Centre in 2023
The following map is interactive. If you would prefer to view it full screen then click here.
How can you help
Report any sightings to the National Biodiversity Data Centre.
References
Publications
Isermann, M., Diekmann, M., & Heemann, S. (2007). Effects of the expansion by Hippophaë rhamnoides on plant species richness in coastal dunes. Applied Vegetation Science, 10(1), 33-42.
Reynolds, S.C.P. (2002) A catalogue of alien plants in Ireland. National Botanic Gardens. Glasnevin, Dublin.
Preston, C.D., Pearman, D. A. & Dines, T. D. (2002). New atlas of the British and Irish flora. An atlas of the vascular plants of Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, Oxford University Press.
Richards, E. G., & Burningham, H. (2011). Hippophae rhamnoides on a coastal dune system: a thorny issue? Journal of Coastal Conservation, 15(1), 73-85.
Stace, C. (1997). New Flora of the British Isles 2nd Edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.