serve to remind us of the past richness of the Forest's heathland.
Today, Wanstead and Leyton Flats on first sight have the appearance of being grasslands, but I
believe they were of a much more heathy nature two hundred years ago, perhaps not like the heather
heaths of Surrey, the New Forest and Dorset, but having rather more a mosaic of acid grassland with
intermingled areas of heath. An Epping Forest Committee report of February 1887 mentions the
draining, trenching and levelling of Wanstead Flats; about 180 acres were cleared of 'coarse
vegetation' and much of the ground was sown with grass-seed. World War 11 also saw much damage
to the Flats with trenches dug to obstruct a possible invasion force. These factors have no doubt
contributed to the demise of the Flats' rarer heathland plants.
Wet Heath
The best place to see heathland plants in the Forest today is Sunshine Plain, a wet-heath site near
the Wake Arms (City Limits). It has an interesting flora and is currently the only place in Essex where
it is possible to see Cotton Grass. A list of plants recently recorded here is given in Table 5. Like many
of the Forest's open places, it is being encroached by Oak, Bracken and particularly Birch scrub, which
is kept in check by conservation volunteers. Some Birch scrub clearance has also been undertaken on
Long Running and Deer Shelter Plain. These areas also have wet heathland floras. The lack of grazing
in this part of the Forest has allowed trees to invade and has also permitted Purple Moor-grass tussocks
to grow unchecked. They are avidly grazed in places such as the New Forest. In Epping the dense
accumulation of 'straw' (the dead leaves) shades out lower-growing species which are unable to
compete and eventually cause the wet-heath to become dominated by Moor-grass tussocks. Invading
Birch and. to a lesser extent, the close proximity of nearby uncut Beech pollards, help to dry out what
should be almost permanently wet sites, again reducing the diversity of species. Historically, there
are many records of interest from these sites. Lousewort (Pedicularis sylvatica) has been reported
from the Lower Forest, Bellringers Hollow and near Strawberry Hill Pond. The only recent record I
know is from Almshouse Plain in 1985. According to Richard Warner, in the 18th century Lousewort
was to be found 'In fields, and moist parts of the Forest: very common'. It is another species that has
become much declined in the Forest due to recent drainage and drying out of sites by invading scrub.
The Heath Spotted Orchid (Dactylorrhiza maculata) is found on a wet heathy site in the Theydon
Bois part of the Forest; often as many as forty spikes are produced. The rare All-seed (Radiola linoides)
was reported from near the Bald-faced Stag in Buckhurst Hill by Richard Warner. It occurs in damp
sometimes lightly disturbed ground on sandy heaths. It still occurs in Essex today, but only on Tiptree
Heath. Meadow Thistle (Cirsium dissectum) was last gathered from the Forest at Strawberry Hill in
1958 by Bernard Ward. Several sedges typical of wet heathy ground are sporadically recorded from
the Forest. Such species include Star Sedge and Yellow-beaked Sedge. More consistently encountered
species today are Pill Sedge, Carnation-grass (C. panicea) (found on Sunshine Plain and Leyton Flats)
and Ribbed Sedge (C. binervis), which is noted from a few areas of heathy ground in the northern
part of the Forest.
Bogs
Bogs have suffered in similar ways to the heaths of the Forest. The losses in the bog flora are
regrettably many. In 1896 (EN TX p.208) one author was prompted to write 'It was ... exceedingly
disappointing ... to witness the slow extinction of the bog flora of the Forest caused by the straight
ditches cut through the bogland'. After a near continuous presence, probably spanning four millennia,
Club Mosses (Lycopodium sp.) disappeared from the Forest early this century. The Common
Clubmoss (L. clavatum) was recorded by Gibson (1862) as being found near the King's Oak, near
High Beach, and between Loughton and Epping. Specimens were later collected by H. Corder from
near Ambresbury banks in 1881 and the following year by Miller Christy from near Loughton Camp.
These appear to be the last records for this species (Fig. 8). Marsh Clubmoss (Lycopodium inundatum)
was reported from near the Wake Arms in June 1892. It was reported from 'The Forest' in 1910. its
last wild occurrence. In 1951 it was deliberately planted in a bog near the Wake Arms, but has since
died out. One particularly sad loss is the delicate Ivy-leaved Bell-flower (Wahlenbergia hederacea),
first reported from the bogs near High Beach in July 1793 by Benjamin Meggott Forster. In July 1801
it was noted from 3 bogs by the King's Oak, High Beach '... especially one amongst the fern there'
(EN XIX p.81). Later it was reported specifically at 'the head of a long bog between the King's Oak
and the hedge beyond High Beach' and from 'other bogs thereabouts in Ambres (Ambresbury) Banks'
(EN XIX p.228). This delicate Bell-flower was recorded from near Loughton in 1881 and also from
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