A CAMPAIGN to save the flowers of the forest was launched yesterday when it emerged that some of Scotland's best-known blossoms are at risk.

Key species such as bluebells, snowdrops, the rare Scottish primrose, and even sphagnum moss - the top layer on many protected raised bogs - are being illegally removed from wild settings at such a pace that they may become threatened, experts said.

Police and environmental groups said the trade in stolen plants was widespread, often involving criminal gangs and with some thieves even using diggers to collect topsoil full of bulbs.

Strathclyde Police, Scottish Natural Heritage, and Plantlife Scotland yesterday launched the Stolen from the Wild campaign to make Scotland's gardeners, landowners and the horticulture trade aware of the illegal trade in plants taken from the wild.

One solution being suggested yesterday as the campaign partners met at a noted bluebell wood near Kilsyth, near Glasgow, was the introduction of a kitemark-type logo indicating that target plants were nursery-bred as opposed to taken from the wild.

The issue will be aired tonight on BBC TV's Beechgrove Garden.

PC Phil Briggs, Strathclyde Police's wildlife liaison officer for Lanarkshire, said wildlife crime in the area, including plant theft, was far more common and widespread than most people realised.

''We have uncovered large-scale sphagnum moss and bluebell bulb collection in Lanarkshire, often carried out by well-organised criminal gangs selling on to the gardening trade,'' he said.

''We know that plant crime is going on throughout the country but because of the remote locations where the collectors operate it is difficult to assess the true scale.

''It is a crime under the Wildlife and Countryside Act to take plants from the wild so we require landowners and the public to report this type of

activity.

''We urge people to be more vigilant and suspicious. If their call is a false alarm that will not matter.''

Police have responded to calls where mechanical diggers were being used to scrape topsoil off land known to harbour dense stands of bluebell and snowdrop bulbs.

One nursing home owner in East Lothian who called SNH for advice as he witnessed a small digger working on his land was told to call the police immediately.

In another case, a Scottish landowner was approached by an English seed company seeking permission to harvest bluebell seed - an indication of the level of the demand.

Many of the illegally-taken bulbs find their way into open-air markets or car boot sales.

The demand for sphagnum moss for hanging baskets and holly for wreaths peaked just before Christmas.

John Ralston of SNH said: ''People should be aware, particularly when they are buying spring plants and hanging baskets, that they may be buying products taken illegally or which are damaging the environment.

''We are concerned that species such as sphagnum moss, which forms the vital protective layer for peatbogs, are being plundered in large quantities by commercial pickers to fuel this trade.

''We want people to ask more questions to encourage the development of a sustainable plant industry.''

One case of sphagnum moss gathering in South Lanarkshire caused an estimated (pounds) 34,000 worth of damage after fences were demolished and trees knocked down to gain access.

A van-load of snowdrop bulbs seized in Fife had an estimated retail value of (pounds) 60,000.

Dr Deborah Long, conservation officer at Plantlife Scotland, pointed out an additional threat to native bluebells - hybridisation with the Spanish bluebell, now commonly sold in garden centres.

They produce fertile hybrids if planted near native bluebells, a threat exacerbating the problems highlighted by the Stolen from the Wild campaign.