Rediscovered ghost ponds can revive long-lost plants

[FfFfFfFF 58,131]

The fertile land of Norfolk is home to a host of stately homes, rare wildlife and more ponds than any other county. Now, estates in the area are trying to hunt down ancient “ghost ponds” in the hopes of reviving centuries-old seeds and discovering long-lost plants.

Botanists believe that this will lead to new plant discoveries; seeds can survive for centuries under layers of leaves and mud so once they are given water and exposed to sunlight the plants will grow. Already, six plants of the endangered wetland flower grass-poly have been found at the edge of an old cattle-watering pond on the Heydon estate in north Norfolk.

Jake Fiennes has committed to nature-friendly farming, boosting numbers of wading birds and restoring wetlands across the 25,000-acre estate.

He is hoping that rare plants will be revived at Holkham, explaining: “The resilience of aquatic seed banks is phenomenal. Given the right conditions, these seeds that have been underground for decades can germinate. That’s very exciting.”

The grass poly is one of the rediscovered flowers so far:

Source