Discovery of a critically endangered plant in Luxembourg City

The National Museum of Natural History (MNHNL - Naturmusée) has annually organized its Biodiversity Weekend at the beginning of June since 2000. This event is conducted in close collaboration with local partners, including nature syndicates, municipalities, and the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Biodiversity.

The primary goal of the event is to raise public awareness about the value of biodiversity and the need to protect it by highlighting the rich variety of species found in our immediate surroundings. Over the course of one or two days, museum experts and their scientific collaborators conduct intensive field surveys within a selected commune, meticulously documenting all the species they encounter. All recorded observations are added to the museum’s national biodiversity database iNaturalist.lu, contributing valuable data and new insights into species distribution across Luxembourg.

During this year’s edition of the Biodiversity Weekend in Luxembourg City, botanists from the MNHNL, along with two scientific collaborators, made a remarkable discovery : the rediscovery of Parietaria officinalis (Grousst Glaskraut), a plant species long considered extinct in its classical locality in Luxembourg City. Since it’s documentation by botanist Félix Heuertz in 1933, the upright pellitory (Parietaria officinalis) had never been found again in Luxembourg City. This ruderal plant, a member of the nettle family, typically grows on nutrient-rich soils and rubble. It is considered a cultural relic, introduced centuries ago from the Mediterranean region.

The plant was discovered in the Grund district near the museum, underscoring the ecological importance of urban environments and the scientific value of the Biodiversity Weekend events.

Press release and pictures from the National Museum of Natural History (MNHNL)