The woodland flora of the Forest of Writtle and surrounding area
common in Elmfield Farm Copse, Fryerning Hall Poplar Plantation (TQ637994) and Skreens Park
Wood. There arc also a few on the edge of Edney Common, South Wood, Cooley Spring, Nightingale
Wood and Horsfrith. The white-flowered form is very common.
Hairy Violet Viola hirta: Confined to the chalky boulder-clay, where it is plentiful as a hedgerow and
woodland-edge plant. Recorded from Horsfrith, Sandpit, Skreens, Skreens Park and Nightingale Woods;
also Cooley, Hopgarden and Tye Hall Springs.
Common Dog-violet Viola riviniana: This species remains common and widespread throughout the
survey area, not only in woodland but on heathy verges and field banks. Present in all the woodlands
and commons of the main forest complex and in most of those on the boulder-clay.
Early Dog-violet Viola reichenbachiana: Less numerous than the above species - especially outside
woodland - but nevertheless widely distributed in the survey area. Recorded from the three Writtle Park
springs - Parkponds, Hockley Shaw and Writtle Park Wood - also Coppice and Birch Springs, Ellis and
Barrow Woods, Edney Common, King Wood, Bushy Wood, South Wood, Nightingale Wood and Cooley
Spring. Possibly overlooked elsewhere.
Heath Dog-violet Viola canina: Recorded in Jermyn from a heathy roadside verge at Highwood but
not re-found during the present survey despite repeated searches in likely looking sites. A fast declining
species in Essex.
Salicaceae Willow Family
Aspen Populus tremula: Widely distributed tliroughout the area - including all the woodlands in the
main Forest complex - but usually only in small quantity and never growing in pure stands of any size.
It responds well to coppicing, dense thickets of clonal saplings sometimes appearing in cleared areas -
as was the case in Osborne's Wood in 1990 and on a heathy trackside verge at Howlett's Hall in 1993
- which suggests that it would be more plentiful if coppicing was carried out on a regular cycle. There
are some fine mature coppice stools in a field hedge on the latter farm that once formed the boundary of
a wood known as Oak Redding.
Hybrid Black Poplar Populus x canadensis: Widely planted in woodlands and elsewhere throughout
Essex during the latter half of the twentieth century. Fortunately, the only woods in the survey area to
have been blighted in this way arc Park Ponds Spring, Well Wood and The Grove and many of the
planted trees have since been toppled by winter storms.
Crack Willow Salix fragilis: A regular member of the tree community along streams and other wet
areas in woodland throughout the area. Usually present in small quantity, exceptions being The Mores
and The Grove, in both of which it is abundant.
Brassicaceae Cabbage Family
Large Bitter-cress Cardamine amara: After years of searching likely looking areas I finally found a
few plants of this species in the Forest in July 2003 - growing alongside the stream in Hockley Shaw. A
scarce plant in Essex nowadays, probably due to improved drainage.
Lady's Smock Cardamine pratensis: Still fairly common and widespread in the area as a whole,
chiefly in grassland - including garden lawns - but also in damp, open areas in woodland.
Wavy Bitter-cress Cardamine flexuosa: Common. Recorded from all the woodlands in the survey
area.
Essex Naturalist (New Series) 20 (2003)
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