
Rare plants of the Avon Gorge Grid refernce ST 56575 73149
The Avon Gorge is famous for its rare plants. Over 30 different kinds of rare plant grow on the gorge's rocky ledges making it one of the top botanical sites in the UK. Some of these, such as the Bristol whitebeam, grow wild here and nowhere else in the world!
The gorge has been visited by every eminent British botanist since William Turner, Dean of Wells, visited in the 16th century. In his 1562 Herbal (the first book on British plants written in English rather than Latin), Turner recorded that honewort, a tiny, rare member of the carrot family, grew on St Vincent’s rocks (the cliffs opposite). Find out more by reading the 'Plant Lover's Paradise' panel.
Close by you will see a little garden called the Brunel Garden. Here you can spot some of the gorge's special flora. Visit in early April to see the delicate white flowers of the Bristol rock-cress, in July to see the bright blue flowers of western-spiked speedwell, and the magenta lollipop-like flowers of the Bristol onion, and in August to see the lilac flowers of the autumn squill.
Rare plants of the Gully Grid refernce ST5632 7464
This steep-sided valley is home to a small herd of goats whose job it is to eat invasive scrub, creating space for a wide variety of rare grassland plants. These include the Bristol onion (also known as the round-headed leek) and the Bristol rock-cress. The Avon Gorge is the only place that these species grow in the UK. Other rare wildflowers living here include: honewort, dwarf mouse-ear, spring cinquefoil, Hutchinsia, dwarf sedge and fingered sedge. You may also notice a small number of trees with wire fences around them; these are rare whitebeams such as Bristol and Wilmott’s whitebeams (the wire is to stop the goats from taking a nibble).
It is also the last site, on the Downs, for the musk thistle which has nodding heads of purple flowers in August. Other unusual species include common gromwell, betony, common rock-rose, horseshoe vetch, small scabious and pale St John’s-wort.
The Avon Gorge is famous for its rare plants. Over 30 different kinds of rare plant grow on the gorge's rocky ledges making it one of the top botanical sites in the UK. Some of these, such as the Bristol whitebeam, grow wild here and nowhere else in the world!
The gorge has been visited by every eminent British botanist since William Turner, Dean of Wells, visited in the 16th century. In his 1562 Herbal (the first book on British plants written in English rather than Latin), Turner recorded that honewort, a tiny, rare member of the carrot family, grew on St Vincent’s rocks (the cliffs opposite). Find out more by reading the 'Plant Lover's Paradise' panel.
Close by you will see a little garden called the Brunel Garden. Here you can spot some of the gorge's special flora. Visit in early April to see the delicate white flowers of the Bristol rock-cress, in July to see the bright blue flowers of western-spiked speedwell, and the magenta lollipop-like flowers of the Bristol onion, and in August to see the lilac flowers of the autumn squill.
Rare plants of the Gully Grid refernce ST5632 7464
This steep-sided valley is home to a small herd of goats whose job it is to eat invasive scrub, creating space for a wide variety of rare grassland plants. These include the Bristol onion (also known as the round-headed leek) and the Bristol rock-cress. The Avon Gorge is the only place that these species grow in the UK. Other rare wildflowers living here include: honewort, dwarf mouse-ear, spring cinquefoil, Hutchinsia, dwarf sedge and fingered sedge. You may also notice a small number of trees with wire fences around them; these are rare whitebeams such as Bristol and Wilmott’s whitebeams (the wire is to stop the goats from taking a nibble).
It is also the last site, on the Downs, for the musk thistle which has nodding heads of purple flowers in August. Other unusual species include common gromwell, betony, common rock-rose, horseshoe vetch, small scabious and pale St John’s-wort.