What has happened in Lords Bushes is a microcosm of the events that have hap-
pened over much of Epping Forest. When managed as wood pasture the Forest con-
tained areas of pollard trees, discrete grassy plains, areas of heathland, marshes and
bogs. The cessation of pollarding and the subsequent removal of many pollards and the
encouragement of standard trees has resulted in dense, floristically poor and historically
uninteresting, woodland with many of the remaining pollards being overshadowed and
killed by the more vigorous standard trees. The decline of grazing has enabled coarse
grasses and scrub to invade the grassy plains and birch the bogs and heathy areas. The
net result of the cessation of management as wood-pasture is a decline in the diversity of
habitat with a concomitant decline in the diversity of the flora and fauna (14).
It must be no coincidence that many of the plants listed below, typical of heathland,
heathy commons and acid bogs present in the 19th century in Epping Forest, are now
extinct (E) or rare and declining (D) in the Forest (34).
Bog Pimpernel
Ribbed Sedge
Straight-beaked Sedge
Flea Sedge
Meadow Thistle
Bell Heather
Cross-leaved Heath
Cotton Grass
Needle Whin
Pennywort
Heath Rush
Blunt-flowered Rush
Common Clubmoss
Marsh Clubmoss
Lousewort
Lesser Butterfly Orchid
Heath Milkwort
Trailing Tormentil
Shepherd's Cress
Dwarf Furze
Ivy-leaved Bell-flower
Anagallis tenella (E)
Carex binervis (D)
demissa (D)
pulicaris (E)
Cirsium dissectum (E)?
Erica cinerea (D)
tetralix (D)
Eriophorum angustifolium (D)
Genista anglica (D)
Hydrocotyle vulgaris (D)
Juncus squarrosus (D)
subnodulosus (E)
Lycopodium clavatum (E)
inundatum (E)
Pedicularis sylvatica (D)
Platanthera bifolia (E)
Polygala serpyllifolia (D)
Potentilla anglica (E)
Teesdalia nudicaulis (E)
Ulex minor (D)
Wahlenbergia hederacea (E)
A classic example of declining heathland is to be found in Wanstead Flats. As far
back as 1199 Wanstead and Leyton Flats are recorded as heath ("bruerio") upon which
the monks of Stratford were allowed to send 960 sheep (14) until the 19th century it is
clear a rich heathland flora existed here. Joseph Freeman in his "Stratford Flora" of
1862 records plants "to be found within a short walk of Stratford" (28), (an examination
of herbarium material in the Passmore Edwards Museum reveals many of these records
refer specifically to Wanstead), such as dodder (Cuscuta epithymum) on ling (Calluna
vulgaris), birdsfoot vetch (Ornithopus perpusillus), lesser butterfly orchid and dwarf
furze. Further examination of herbarium material reveals bell heather (Erica cinerea)
collected from Wanstead Flats in 1877 by William Cole. Gibson writing in 1862 (29)
notes lemon-scented Fern (Thelypteris limbosperma) from Wanstead. Today only a
fragment of this rich heathland flora remains such species including ling, heath rush
and heath grass (Sieglingia decumbens). Nearby Leyton Flats however retains much of
its heathy character with species such as carnation-grass (Carex panicea), oval sedge (C.
ovalis) heath rush, heath woodrush (Luzula multiflora), mat-grass (Nardus stricta),
creeping willow (Salix repens) and heath grass.
64