The distribution of the Oxlip Primula elatior (L.) Hill in Essex
Gibson's records (1862) of the Oxlip's distribution in Essex are Very sparing. There are 12 records
that cover Saffron Walden, across to Steeple Bumpstead then down to Saling, Springfield and
Broomfield. Christy (1897 J gives a better picture of the Oxlip zone in Essex, describing the boundary
as passing through Saffron Walden, Newport, Quendon, Hatfield, Great Easton, Saling, Panfield,
Halstead, Belchamp Walter, Ashen, Birdbrook, Steeple Bumpstead, and Ashdon. This is more clearly
seen on the map (fig 1). Jermyn's (1974) records did not substantially change Christy's area.
Replacement of the primrose by the Oxlip is almost complete within this 'Oxlip zone'. This survey
only identified 5 woodlands in which primroses were present out of a total of 76 Oxlip woods
surveyed, and Valentine (1974) suggests this may be a feature unique in the U.K. flora. Walters
(1993) suggests that the region's continental climate of low rainfall and cold winters, which could
favour the Oxlip, may contribute to this, whilst Valentine (1974) suggests the current distribution
may in some way reflect how these plants colonised the land following the last glaciation. Once
this pattern had emerged it would have been rendered remarkably stable by the Oxlip's preference
for particular soil types and moisture contents together with its very slow rate of colonisation.
Rackham (1975) also suggests that the fragmentation of the wildwood would also have 'fixed' the
plant's distribution.
Past records and the 2002 survey
Stacey Gibson's Flora (1862) was the first for the county. Comparison with our current information
must be undertaken with care. Gibson's records went back 300 years, taking information from as
remote a source as Gerard's Herbal of 1597. Gibson divided the county into only 8 divisions
against the 57 used by Jermyn. And of course much of the county was far more inaccessible than in
this century, which would account for the level of under-recording. Some of Gibson's records are
lumped together, so that one entry is for 'most of the woods round Walden'; this probably equates
to the 15 important ancient woods covered by this survey that all lie close to Saffron Walden.
Gibson also used parish rather than site names; thus Ashdon, Bumpstead and Saling are cited for
example, but without any name to the particular wood in which the plant was found. Nevertheless
sites identified by Gibson were put on the list to be surveyed where the information allowed.
The papers of Miller Christy were also read in detail. Christy named many of the sites on which he
had carried out work into the Oxlip and a number of these were not recorded in Jermyn's flora.
Christy's named sites were all added to the provisional survey list, and notes made of any particular
points made by him (such as presence of hybrids or numbers of plants) so that they could be
checked again, if possible, during the survey.
Jermyn's Flora (1974) quite rightly remains the foundation and baseline for recording work in
Essex. The records in this work go back to 1930 at the earliest and embodied the work of many
recorders. Jermyn listed 81 Oxlip sites; one of these, Ladygate Wood, was deleted from the survey
since it is actually in Suffolk. Most of the records in Jermyn's Flora do not have a commentary (nor
would this be possible in a work of such scope), so it is not possible to know how many plants were
on the site when it was surveyed, nor in the case of very small populations, exactly where the plants
were on the site. This increases the risk of small populations being missed when a new recorder
surveys the site 25 years later. Every site in Jermyn's flora was re-visited as part of the survey.
Since Jermyn's Flora was published recording has of course carried on, notably by members of
Essex Wildlife Trust and Essex Field Club. The marvellous records accumulated by these individuals
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Essex Naturalist (New Series) 19 (2002)