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The Woodland Education Centre
The Heathland Restoration Project
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Ecological Survey 1999

Plant Species List by Section
with a comparison of species abundance,
measured as percentage frequency

Summary

  • Percentage frequency = the percentage of the total number of quadrats sampled over the whole site which contain the species. For example, a percentage frequency of 100%, means that the species was found in all quadrats sampled.
  • Percentage frequencies have been rounded to the nearest whole number, except for those which are less than 1%.
  • A + sign indicates that the species was seen on the site, but was not found in any of the quadrats sampled.
  • Characteristic heath species are in bold blue text.

Site diagram and summary of section management methods here

 

SPECIES

COMMON NAME

% Freq

MOSSES

1

2

3

4

 5 6 7 8 9
Atrichum undulatum 14 15 15 12 4 17 30 11
Campylopus introflexus 6 6
* Campylopus paradoxus

5

 11 3
Dicranella heteromalla 6 3
Eurhynchium praelongum 81 50 65 12 42 33 74 72 38
Hypnum andoi
(formerly H. mammillatum)		 5
Hypnum cupressiforme 4 4 11 6
* Hypnum jutlandicum 5 15 4 26 39 41
Polytrichum formosum 29 50 5 24 29 70 67 69
Thuidium tamarascinum 67 40 30 29 25 52 78 53
FERNS
* Blechnum spicant

Hard Fern

 10 5 17 4 + 6 13
Dryopteris carthusiana

Narrow Buckler Fern

 29 25 5 6 8 6
* Pteridium aquilinum

Bracken

 19 + 15 8 8 6 19
ANGIOSPERMS
LILIACEAE
Hyacinthoides non-scripta

Bluebell

 71 60 + + +
ARACEAE
Arum maculatum

Lords & Ladies

 4
GRAMINAE
* Agrostis canina

Velvet Bent

 10 50 50 12 17 39 47
* Agrostis capillaris

Common Bent

 95 85 95 94 67 96 74 83 31
* Agrostis curtisii

Bristle Bent

 33 13
Agrostis stolonifera

Creeping Bent

 28 3
Agrostis vinealis

Brown Bent

 6 3
* Anthoxanthum odoratum

Sweet Vernal Grass

 + 5 12 4 11
Arrhenatherum elatius

False Oat Grass

 5 5 4
Holcus lanatus

Yorkshire Fog

 100 95 90 100 33 96 39 67 41
Molinia caerulea

Purple Moor-grass

 +
CYPERACEAE
* Carex binervis

Green-ribbed Sedge

 5 15 4 25 35 11 56
Carex flacca

Glaucous Sedge

 5 6 17 6
Carex flava agg.

Yellow Sedges

 15 21
Carex laevigata

Smooth-stalked Sedge

 5 15 12 17 38 48 50 3
* Carex pilulifera

Pill Sedge

 19 30 5 12 42 17 22 38
Carex sylvatica

Wood Sedge

 5 20 53 4 11
JUNCACEAE
Juncus conglomeratus

Compact Rush

 10 15 15 41 58 25 52 17 13
* Juncus effusus

Soft Rush

 4 6 31
* Luzula campestris

Field Woodrush

 5 15 21 28
* Luzula multiflora

Heath Woodrush

 14 15 10 6 29 48 33 16
Luzula pilosa

Hairy Woodrush

 4 6
RANUNCULACEAE
Ranunculus repens

Creeping Buttercup

5

 12 4
HYPERICACEAE
Hypericum androsaemum

Tutsan

 4
* Hypericum pulchrum

Slender St John’s Wort

 5 20 18 8 50 17 61 13
VIOLACEAE
Viola riviniana

Common Dog-violet

 5 35 65 76 67 92 43 28 3
OXALIDACEAE
Oxalis acetosella

Wood Sorrel

 5 10
PAPILIONACEAE
Lotus pedunculatus

Greater Bird’s Foot Trefoil

 + 45 29 17 42 9
Trifolium pratense

Red Clover

 3
* Ulex europaeus

Common Gorse

 10 10 6 67 54 74 72 28
* Ulex gallii

Western Gorse

 5
ROSACEAE
Crataegus monogyna

Hawthorn

 4
Fragaria vesca

Wild Strawberry

 5 6 13 4
* Potentilla erecta

Tormentil

 10 5 6 4 13 3
Prunus sp.

Cherry

 5 15 21 8 26 22 41
* Rubus fruticosus agg

Bramble

 76 50 65 65 92 17 43 33 66
Sorbus aucuparia

Rowan

 5 10 20 12 4 13 11
ONAGRACEAE
Circaea lutetiana

Enchanter’s Nightshade

 12 4
AQUIFOLIACEAE
Ilex aquifolium

Holly

 5 4 4 4 3
ARALIACEAE
Hedera helix

Ivy

 14 20 4 4 6
FAGACEAE
Quercus sp.

Oak

 19 20 12 8 4 17 3
BETULACEAE
* Betula pendula

Silver Birch

 19 10 18 79 13 52 33 72
CORYLACEAE
Corylus avellana

Hazel

 6 4
SALICACEAE
Salix aurita

Eared Willow

 5 6 6
Salix caprea agg.

Goat Willow/Great Sallow

 8
ACERACEAE
Acer pseudoplanatus

Sycamore

 5
ERICACEAE
* Calluna vulgaris

Heather (Ling)

 + 8 21 35 61 69
* Erica cinerea

Bell Heather

 5 + 4 + 39 6 6
Rhododendron ponticum

Rhododendron

 + +
PRIMULACEAE
Lysimachia nemorum

Yellow Pimpernel

 5 20 40 59 21 13 9 17
SCROPHULARIACEAE
Digitalis purpurea

Foxglove

 12 21 4 22 3
Scrophularia nodosa

Common Figwort

 + 24
Veronica chamaedrys

Germander Speedwell

 5 18
Veronica officinalis

Heath Speedwell

 20 12 63 30 3
LABIATEAE
Ajuga reptans

Bugle

 20 59 46 38 4 6
Stachys sylvatica

Hedge Woundwort

 25 35 17
Teucrium scorodonia

Wood Sage

 10 25 20 12 17 +
CAPRIFOLIACEAE
Leycesteria formosa

Himalayan Honeysuckle

 4
Lonicera periclymenum

Honeysuckle

 5 4
RUBIACEAE
Galium palustre agg.

Marsh Bedstraw

 5 10 24 4
COMPOSITAE
Cirsium arvense

Field Thistle

 13
Cirsium palustre

Marsh Thistle

 5 5 24 21 33 + 6 3
Cirsium vulgare

Spear Thistle
Eupatorium cannabinum

Hemp-agrimony

 + 6 13 4
Hypochoeris radicata

Cat’s Ear

 21 9 17 3
Leontodon autumnalis

Autumn Hawkbit

 4
Pulicaria dysenterica

Common Fleabane

 8
Senecio jacobaea

Ragwort

 +
Taraxacum officinale agg.

Dandelion

 6
Number of Species 36 31 43 42 44 47 35 42 44
Number of Quadrats 21 20 20 17 24 24 23 18 32
Mean No. species/quadrat 8 8 10 9 10 11 10 12 9

 

Summary .... the data at a glance in 1999.

1.    Total number of different plant species recorded in all sections:

      79 species

2.   The dominant plants across the whole project area:

     Eurhynchium praelongum
      Common Bent - Agrostis capillaris
      Yorkshire Fog - Holcus lanatus
      Bramble - Rubus fruticosus agg.
      Silver Birch - Betula pendula
      Heather - Calluna vulgaris
      Slender St John's Wort - Hypericum pulchrum

3.   Plants occurring in every section of the Heathland Restoration Project site:

      Only 6 plants were found in every single section on the site. These were:

Mosses:
Eurhynchium praelongum		 Grasses/rushes:
Common Bent - Agrostis capillaris

Yorkshire Fog
Holcus lanatus

Compact Rush
Juncus conglomeratus

 Herbs:
Violet - Viola riviniana

wpe7A.jpg (1587 bytes)

 

 Shrubs:
Bramble - Rubus fruticosus agg.

wpe8A.jpg (2276 bytes)

4.  The sections closest to a heathland habitat:

      Section 7 (spring brushcut, initial gorse and grass control)
      Section 8 (autumn brushcut, initial selective weed control)
      Section 9 (handweeding)

This is based on these sections having the greatest abundance of heath species such as Heather,         Bell Heather, gorse, bramble, Tormentil, Silver Birch, Pill Sedge, Bristle Bent and mosses such as      Hypnum jutlandicum.

5.  Rhododendron has reappeared in sections 5 and 6:

     This highly invasive non-native species which formerly covered the Heathland Restoration Project        site is gradually reappearing.

6.  The section with the highest species diversity:

     Section 6 (spring, summer and autumn brushcut).

wpe92.jpg (2689 bytes) Because the height of the vegetation in this section is constantly being controlled, it reduces the competition from taller plants and allows a much greater variety of smaller herbs (such as Bugle, Heath Speedwell and Yellow Pimpernel) to become established.

 

7.  The section with the lowest species diversity:

     Section 2 (spring brushcut).

 

>> Continue to Section Descriptions

 

 

Ecological Survey 1999
Contents