Plants
It is a crime to:
- uproot any wild plant, unless this is accidental or permission has been given by the owner or occupier of the land;
- pick or destroy a specially protected plant;
- possess one of these specially protected plants or any part of them or to advertise them for sale.
It is crime to uproot any wild plant, unless permission has been
given by the owner or occupier of the land, or the uprooting occurred
accidentally. There is a list of over 150 specially
protected plants, which includes mosses, algae and lichens as well
as flowering plants. It is a crime to pick or damage these listed plants
in any way, unless this happens as the incidental and unavoidable
result of an otherwise lawful activity and you have not been reckless
in carrying this out. It is also a crime to possess one of these
specially protected plants or any part of them or to advertise them for
sale and so, as with protected animals, you should ensure that you have
evidence of how you came by them if you chose to own them. There are
four species protected as European Protected Species. A further
list of species are protected against excessive exploitation.
The bluebell, or wild hyacinth, is currently protected only against sale to prevent the unsustainable harvesting of bulbs from woodland. It is expected that sale will be permitted under a scheme to license reputable growers and so enable gardeners to legally obtain this attractive native species.