CRCritically Endangered

Limestone Woundwort

Stachys alpina

Unknown

Photo: Photo: (c) Eduardo Fernández Pascual, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Eduardo Fernández Pascual

Overview

Limestone Woundwort (Stachys alpina) is a perennial herbaceous plant in the mint family, characterized by its distinctive heart-shaped, serrated leaves and spikes of pale yellow to white flowers. This alpine species typically grows 30-60 cm tall and plays an important ecological role as a nectar source for specialized high-altitude pollinators including bees and butterflies.

Limestone Woundwort faces severe population decline due to habitat destruction and fragmentation of its specialized limestone grassland and rocky outcrop environments. The species is particularly vulnerable due to its extremely limited distribution and small population sizes, making it susceptible to local extinctions from human disturbance and natural stochastic events.
Threat summary

Habitat

Limestone Woundwort inhabits rocky limestone outcrops, scree slopes, and crevices in alpine and subalpine zones, typically at elevations between 1,500-2,800 meters. It requires well-drained, calcium-rich soils and thrives in partially shaded areas among boulder fields and cliff faces where snow persists late into the growing season.

TERRESTRIAL· major

Other threatened species in Lamiaceae

Meadow Clary

Salvia pratensis

Unknown

Frequently asked questions

Why is Limestone Woundwort classified as Critically Endangered?

Limestone Woundwort is classified as Critically Endangered — facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild — because population sizes are very small, declining sharply, or restricted to a tiny range. Limestone Woundwort faces severe population decline due to habitat destruction and fragmentation of its specialized limestone grassland and rocky outcrop environments. The species is particularly vulnerable due to its extremely limited distribution and small population sizes, making it susceptible to local extinctions from human disturbance and natural stochastic events.

Where does Limestone Woundwort live?

Limestone Woundwort occurs in across multiple regions. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.

What are the main threats to Limestone Woundwort?

The main threats to Limestone Woundwort are ai-1, ai-2, ai-3, and ai-4. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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