The woodland flora of the Forest of Writtle and surrounding area
tree al the south-western tip of The Grove. Scattered bird-sown saplings elsewhere.
Ranunculaceae Buttercup Family
Green Hellebore Helleborus viridis: Recorded in Gibson from Daffy Wood, on the Roxwell/Broomfield
boundary. This almost certainly refers to Nightingale Wood, where the species is still present, up to six
plants having been recorded during the current survey. Thus, it has been present at this site for at least
one hundred and forty years and there can be little doubt that the plants are of native stock rather than
garden escapes. A rare species in Essex.
Wood Anemone Anemone nemorosa: Still present in good numbers at isolated sites in Barrow Wood,
Writtle Park Wood (where it is possible they pre-date the wood as there are no others in the vicinity)
and Mill Green Common, but is slowly declining at all three due to lack of coppicing. A few also occur
at The Hyde Lake (possibly arelic of an old introduction) and on a bank at Tanhouse Mead, Beggar Hill
(TL634014), the latter site the boundary wood-bank of a long since grubbed-out coppice.
Goldilocks Buttercup Ranunculus auricomus: Widespread and locally common throughout the survey
area. Recorded from Ellis Wood, Park Ponds Spring, Hockley Shaw, King Wood, Bushy Wood, South
Wood, Lady Grove, The Mores (Cooksmill Green), Sandpit Wood and Nightingale Wood plus several
non-woodland sites.
Lesser Spearwort Ranunculus flammula: Seemingly confined to the acidic soils of the main Forest-
Responds well to disturbance of any kind and has been recorded in good numbers from recently coppiced
areas of Barrow Wood, Birch Spring, College and Fryerning Woods. A few still survive in uncoppiced
areas of Hockley Shaw and Edney Common, plus a roadside ditch that once bordered Coppice Spring,
while it was quick to colonise damp ground in Great Edney set-aside field in the early 1990s.
Unfortunately, deer consider it a tasty snack!
Ivy-leavcd Crowfoot Ranunculus hederaceus: In May 2000 this species was found to have colonised
a deep, water-filled hole at the base of a wind toppled larch in Deerslade Wood. It failed to reappear the
following year but in June 2002 it was found in a similar situation in adjoining Stoney more Wood. A
scarce and declining species in the county.
Fumariaceae Fumitory Family
Dense-flowered Fumitory Fumaria densiflora: Not really a woodland plant but included here because
a single plant was found on a chalky spoil heap in Great Edney Wood in June 1998, the first record of
this local species from this corner of Essex.
Ulmaceae Elm Family
Wych Elm Ulmus glabra: A not uncommon hedgerow and woodland-edge species on the chalky
boulder-clay but scarce or absent (occasionally planted) on the more acidic soils. Recorded in small
quantity from South, Sandpit, Skreens, Skreens Park and Nightingale Woods, in the first of which there
are some fine ancient coppice stools.
Elm sp. Ulmus agg.: A difficult and complex group - much given to hybridisation - that is all but
impossible to sort out without the presence of mature trees, none of which have survived the ravages of
Dutch Elm Disease in the survey area. A group of around 45 trees at The Hyde Lake, some of which
have reached 15 - 20m (50'-60') in height and have only recently shown signs of disease, have the leaf
characteristics of Huntingdon Elm (Ulmus x vegeta), while Dutch Elm (Ulmus x hollandica) was widely
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