The Higher Plants of Hylands Park
The Brambles (Rubus fruticosus agg.)
Alec Bull, the Norfolk Rubus specialist, visited Hylands on July 2nd 2002. Brambles (Blackberries)
are common throughout Essex. In most species lists they are 'lumped' together under the all-
embracing 'Rubus fruticosus agg.'. In fact, there are probably many hundreds of species in Britain
- some widespread and common, others local to the point of being found only at one site and many
arc un-named. Because of the difficulties with naming blackberries, identification is a job for the
specialist batologist and this is the reason why very few sites in Essex have reliable, accurately-
identified lists of brambles. Amongst those to have been investigated are Epping Forest, Danbury
Common and Galleywood Common.
EppingForest has 39 identified species recorded. Danbury Common has over 35 species. Hylands
is the first time in Essex a comprehensive list has been obtained form a park. Parks arc not always
good for brambles - deer (both fallow and especially Muntjac in recent times) arc very fond of
blackberry leaves. Alan Newton (the national expert) once visited Windsor Great Park with a view
to looking at its Rubi but on inspection, there apparently weren't any - the deer had eaten them all!
Hylands is different - it never was a medieval deer park and has probably never had the intense
grazing pressure that deer parks can be subject to. The landscape has also only relatively recently
become a park. The brambles arc probably more typical of an average 18th century fanned Essex
landscape.
Al Hylands, Alec Bull and I visited what I considered would be the most productive bramble sites
- South Wood and its vicinity, the formal gardens, Roman Walk. Oak Plantation and the eastern
boundary wall. Surprisingly a total of only eleven species (excepting introductions) were recorded:
Rubus amplificatus Rubus hindii Rubus ulmifolius
Rubus armipotens Rubus insectifolius Rubus vestitus
Rubus britannicus Rubus rufescens Rubus wirralensis
Rubus dasyphyllus Rubus tuberculatus
Most of the species are known to be widespread in the U.K. However, R. armipotens is mainly a
south-eastern species. R. britannicus is mainly southern, whilst R. tuberculatus tends to be western
in distribution. Rubus ulmifolius and R. vestitus are said to be the commonest brambles in Essex,
followed by R. rufescens. Rubus ulmifolius x vestitus was also recorded and is said to be the
commonest sterile hybrid in the U.K.
In addition to these species, four introduced Rubi are known from Hylands:
Rubus armeniacus - the so-called Himalayan Giant, notably found in the formal gardens and the
walled kitchen garden, is presumably a relict from the days when Hylands had working kitchen
gardens. Raspberry (Rubus idaeus) was also found near the London Road boundary wall, another
escape from cultivation. The beautiful deciduous hybrid Rubus 'Benenden' and the ground-covering
Rubus tricolor, originally from China, can both be found in the formal gardens area.
References
Bull, A. (1996) The Bramble Flora of Epping Forest
Essex Naturalist (New Series) Vol .13 pp. 116 - 120
Hanson, M.W. (1990) Essex Elm. Essex Naturalist (New Series) No. 10 pp. 1 - 88
Jermyn, S.T. (1974) The Flora of Essex. Essex Naturalists' Trust
142
Essex Parks: Section 2 - Hylands Park