Flora guardians helping to protect rare plants.

Mon-Fri9.00 a.m.-5.00 p.m. Answer-machine all othertimes. A RESCUE operation to protect one of Wales' rarest plants is under way, thanks to teams of flora volunteers.

The sword-leavedhelleborine is a rare orchid known to exist at only five sites in Wales.

Volunteers from Plantlife Wales, called flora guardians, started the rescue operation by surveying the plant at one of its surviving sanctuaries in the Llanberis area.

Plantlife' Wales Officer Trevor Dines said the sword-leaved helleborine, which has long narrow leaves and oval white flowers towards the top of the stem, usually grows in light shade among open woods and wood margins.

He said: ``This stunning orchid has been lost from eight of its 14 sites in Wales - an astonishing decline of 57pc. Some plants have been collected from the wild and others lost through poor woodland management.

``Flora guardians assessed the management needs for this rare plant and will ensure that any necessary work is carried out to secure its future in the wild.''

The plant can now be found at about 80 sites throughout Britain,but almost half of these have only two or three specimens and are not likely to survive much longer.

``The present sites are mostly in the West of Scotland and in Hampshire, where the threats to its future are similar to the factors that caused its decline. This species is classified as Nationally Scarce in Britain and Globally Threatened,''added Trevor.

Plantlife is Britain's only national membership charity dedicated exclusively to conserving all forms of plant life in their natural habitat.

As the organisation's Welsh officer Trevor is helping to conserve rare species by providing a practical,hands-on response to the crisis of plant loss in Wales.

He is responsible for securing the future of 40 rare plants that are included in Plantlife's plant rescue programme,Back from the Brink.

Anyone interested in becoming a flora guardian can contact Trevor on 01248 385445.