VOLATILE weather caused by climate change could spell disaster for some of the North-East's most precious plants, according to a report.

Among the victims could be the globeflower, a member of the buttercup family which is found in upland areas, such as Teesdale, in County Durham.

The prediction is contained in a report from the charity Plantlife in response to growing evidence gathered by Government-backed scientists of Britain's rising temperatures.

Scientists believe there will be warmer, wetter winters, hotter, drier summers, and more torrential cloudbursts.

Francis Rose, a member of Plantlife's Advisory Council, says in the report: "Over the long-term, many of our northern and wetland species may find it impossible to cope with novel weather patterns, including summer droughts and sudden storms."

Dr Jenny Duckworth, Plantlife's biodiversity research manager, points to findings from the national Modelling Natural Resource Response to Climate Changes (Monarch) project.

Scientists working for Monarch have concluded that northerly species will find themselves squeezed for living space, and that among those worst affected will be some upland mosses and the globeflower.

A small, delicate yellow flower, globeflower likes damp and grassy places, mainly in the uplands, and can be seen between May and August.

Dr Duckworth says that the tough terrain may mean that some plants cannot colonise new areas if their habitats are destroyed. The threat, she writes, will have "serious implications for our more northern plants".

However, Plantlife believes that warmer northern temperatures could encourage some southern plants to colonise the North.

Mr Rose concludes: "It is quite clear that, as time goes buy, our more exacting species will only survive in the limited areas of properly managed nature reserves.

"The future existence of our most interesting plants may well depend on such places."