The distribution of the Oxlip Primula elatior (L.) Hill in Essex
were generously made available to the survey, providing both new sites and confirming the continued
presence of the plant on many of those in Jermyn's Flora. In addition the Essex Wildlife Trust also
carried out a 'Phase 1 Survey' of all habitats in the county in 1990 which revealed several new
locations. Finally, whilst out in the field recording, there were several landowners who asked us to
look at a small copse on their land which we had never previously visited, only to find a site
containing a thriving colony of Oxlips. These were the best moments!
The 2002 survey was carried out in the main by six recorders, all of whom were conversant with the
species. Having determined the list of sites to be surveyed from the past records, a simple recording
protocol was used. Firstly the presence or absence of the Oxlip on the site was noted. For those
sites with Oxlips, recorders also estimated the number of plants (rosettes) present using a very
simple scale of: 1 - 10, 11 - 100, 101 - 1000, 1001 - 10,000, and >10,000. This scale was similar
to the system previously used by Preston (1993) for the Cambridgeshire survey. Although the
measurement is coarse, it does provide a baseline against which further recording can be compared,
and will allow the future status of the plant to be more accurately measured. In addition, by the use
of tick charts recording rosettes, flowering scapes and eaten scapes, the percentage of rosettes
bearing flowering scapes was estimated, together with an estimate of the percentage of scapes
eaten off. Inevitably in many woods this process could only sample the total population. These
results were similarly scored on a simple scale of: 0 - 5%, 6 - 25%, 26 -50%, 51 - 75%, and
>75%. Finally where the Oxlip colonies were small or limited to a small area of the wood, a simple
sketch map was made to identify the position of the plants.
It was realised that with over 120 sites to survey, it would not be possible to visit them all in one
year. To that end sites already accurately surveyed in the years 1998 - 2000 were not re-visited.
Plans for 2001,when the main survey was due to have taken place, were of course aborted due to
the foot and mouth epidemic, and the majority of the sites were then scheduled for 2002. All sites
except 10 were surveyed, and these will be completed in 2003 apart from two whose owners have
refused to allow surveyors onto their land.
Essex Oxlip sites 2002
Format of the information: All of the sites surveyed are listed whether or not the Oxlip was still
found on the site. This provides a record of sites lost, which will be of value to future workers.
The data for each site is laid out in the following sequence.
> The 10km square - these are listed once only (not for each site) in numerical order followed
by the list of individual sites falling within that square.
> The site name and the parish in which the site occurs. Some of the names used do not appear
on the O.S.maps, but are those used by either their owners or by local residents.
> Where applicable an asterisk (*), which indicates that the site is contained on the inventory
of Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland sites (English Nature 1982).
> The six-figure map reference identifying the site location. These are ordered in numerical
sequence for each of the 10km square groups. These six figure references generally denote
the site of the major Oxlip colony on the site if the plants distribution is uneven. Where
there are several colonies only one is identified by the map reference, but a clearer picture
of the distribution is given on the site maps completed by the surveyors and held by the
Wildlife Trust. Where a site occurs in two or more 10km squares, it is only recorded under
one of them so that only one entry appears.
> The size of the site, where known, is given in hectares, followed in brackets by the number
of hectares grubbed out or planted with conifers, where this information is available (much
Essex Naturalist (New Series) 19 (2002)
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