Isle of Man cabbage
Encyclopedia
The Isle of Man cabbage (Coincya monensis subsp. monensis) is a species of Brassicaceae
or cabbage plant
that is found in coastal habitats on the west of the island of Great Britain
(from north Devon
to Kintyre
) and around the coasts of the Isle of Man
.
is thought to naturally occur in only 22 localities and is endemic to the British Isles
. It is listed as a nationally scarce British species and is in serious risk of extinction
. The species was once abundant on the Isle of Man
, hence its name, however, for an unknown reason its population
has collapsed to only a few individual and isolated plants. On the Isle of Man
, the Manx Wildlife Trust began propagating the species in their greenhouses in 2006. It is hoped that this will halt the decline of the species and prevent its extinction.
) or no shade
. C. m. monensis needs mobile sand dunes where wind or other erosion
prevents thick vegetation cover and allows areas free from vegetation cover for C. m. monensis to colonise. Trampling by walkers can help achieve this habitat, hence C. m. monensis can often be found growing along footpaths through coastal dunes.
and grows to a height of 0.3 metre. It forms rosettes
than can be up to a metre in diameter. The flowers have four leaves, are hermaphrodite
and are pollinated by insects. C. m. monensis flowers from April.
Coincya
are the Lundy cabbage
Coincya wrighti and the Star mustard
Coincya monensis spp. recurvata. The star mustard, a plant introduced to eight U.S. states, is the same species as the Isle of Man cabbage but a different subspecies. It may have been introduced to the US
as the Isle of Man cabbage and subsequently evolved through the founder effect
and geographic isolation into a new subspecies.
The Manx
name for the species is , literally 'Manx cabbage'. Outside the British Isles
, the Isle of Man cabbage is also known as the star mustard, wallflower cabbage, tall wallflower cabbage and coincya.
In its scientific name, the specific descriptor is Latin
for Manx. In Latin, the Isle of Man
is called .
Brassicaceae
Brassicaceae, a medium sized and economically important family of flowering plants , are informally known as the mustards, mustard flowers, the crucifers or the cabbage family....
or cabbage plant
Brassicaceae
Brassicaceae, a medium sized and economically important family of flowering plants , are informally known as the mustards, mustard flowers, the crucifers or the cabbage family....
that is found in coastal habitats on the west of the island of Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
(from north Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
to Kintyre
Kintyre
Kintyre is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The region stretches approximately 30 miles , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south, to East Loch Tarbert in the north...
) and around the coasts of the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
.
Conservation status
The speciesSpecies
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
is thought to naturally occur in only 22 localities and is endemic to the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
. It is listed as a nationally scarce British species and is in serious risk of extinction
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
. The species was once abundant on the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
, hence its name, however, for an unknown reason its population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
has collapsed to only a few individual and isolated plants. On the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
, the Manx Wildlife Trust began propagating the species in their greenhouses in 2006. It is hoped that this will halt the decline of the species and prevent its extinction.
Habitat
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, which must be well-drained yet moist. The plant can grow in acidic, neutral and alkaline soils, in semi-shade (light woodlandWoodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
) or no shade
Shade
Shade is the blocking of sunlight by any object, and also the shadow created by that object. Shade also consists of the colors grey, black, white, etc...
. C. m. monensis needs mobile sand dunes where wind or other erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
prevents thick vegetation cover and allows areas free from vegetation cover for C. m. monensis to colonise. Trampling by walkers can help achieve this habitat, hence C. m. monensis can often be found growing along footpaths through coastal dunes.
Biology
The Isle of Man cabbage, a dicot plant is biennialBiennial plant
A biennial plant is a flowering plant that takes two years to complete its biological lifecycle. In the first year the plant grows leaves, stems, and roots , then it enters a period of dormancy over the colder months. Usually the stem remains very short and the leaves are low to the ground, forming...
and grows to a height of 0.3 metre. It forms rosettes
Rosette (botany)
In botany, a rosette is a circular arrangement of leaves, with all the leaves at a single height.Though rosettes usually sit near the soil, their structure is an example of a modified stem.-Function:...
than can be up to a metre in diameter. The flowers have four leaves, are hermaphrodite
Hermaphrodite
In biology, a hermaphrodite is an organism that has reproductive organs normally associated with both male and female sexes.Many taxonomic groups of animals do not have separate sexes. In these groups, hermaphroditism is a normal condition, enabling a form of sexual reproduction in which both...
and are pollinated by insects. C. m. monensis flowers from April.
Taxonomy
Other (sub)species in the GenusGenus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Coincya
Coincya
Coincya is a genus of flowering plant that belongs to the family Brassicaceae. Three species of the plant are endemic to the British Isles., these being Coincya wrightii , Coincya cheiranthus and Coincya monensis, which has two subspecies, C. monensis subsp. monensis and C. monensis subsp...
are the Lundy cabbage
Lundy cabbage
Lundy cabbage is a species of primitive brassicoid, endemic to the island of Lundy off the southwestern coast of Great Britain, where it is sufficiently isolated to have formed its own species, with its endemic insect pollinators. The Lundy cabbage Coincya wrightii grows only on the eastern cliffs...
Coincya wrighti and the Star mustard
Star mustard
The Star mustard or wallflower cabbage is a subspecies of C. monensis, the Isle of Man cabbage.It is found in eight U.S. states....
Coincya monensis spp. recurvata. The star mustard, a plant introduced to eight U.S. states, is the same species as the Isle of Man cabbage but a different subspecies. It may have been introduced to the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as the Isle of Man cabbage and subsequently evolved through the founder effect
Founder effect
In population genetics, the founder effect is the loss of genetic variation that occurs when a new population is established by a very small number of individuals from a larger population. It was first fully outlined by Ernst Mayr in 1942, using existing theoretical work by those such as Sewall...
and geographic isolation into a new subspecies.
The Manx
Manx language
Manx , also known as Manx Gaelic, and as the Manks language, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, historically spoken by the Manx people. Only a small minority of the Island's population is fluent in the language, but a larger minority has some knowledge of it...
name for the species is , literally 'Manx cabbage'. Outside the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
, the Isle of Man cabbage is also known as the star mustard, wallflower cabbage, tall wallflower cabbage and coincya.
In its scientific name, the specific descriptor is Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
for Manx. In Latin, the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
is called .