The woodland flora of the Forest of Writtle and surrounding area
from all the ancient woodlands in the main Forest complex, including the eight springs; also Lee
Wood, Lady Grove and South Wood.
Bugle Ajuga reptans: Common in damp woodland areas throughout the survey area, on both acidic
soils and the boulder-clay. Absent only from the drier woods such as Woodham's Spring and Stoneymore,
Lee, Chapel and Sandpit Woods.
Gypsywort Lycopus europaeus: Recorded from woodland ponds and streams in Hockley Shaw, The
Mores, Mill Green Common and The Tlyde Lake. Fairly common and widespread in farmland ponds in
the area as a whole.
Callitrichaceae Water-starwort Family
Common Water-starwort Callitriche stagnalis: Common in woodland ponds and along wet muddy
tracks tliroughout the survey area.
Oleaceae Ash Family
Ash Fraxinus excelsior. Common throughout the area. One of the principal trees in boggy areas on
Edney Common and in both The Mores and The Grove and the main coppice - along with Hornbeam -
in many of the smaller woods on slightly sweeter soils, namely, Bushy Wood, Horsfrith, Sandpit Wood,
Skreens Wood, Nightingale Wood and Reed's Spring. Some of the stools in Horsfrith appear to be of a
great age. Pollards are still fairly numerous in the area's hedgerows.
Scrophulariaceae Figwort Family
Foxglove Digitalis purpurea: Fairly common and widespread on acidic soils throughout the area but
few sport the deep purple flowers of the native plant, the range of colours suggesting that most have
either originated from garden plants or have hybridised with them. Very scarce in the ancient woodlands
of the main Forest complex but a regular hedgerow and woodland-edge plant elsewhere, the best recent
displays being in coppiced areas of The Grove and Osborne's Wood.
Heath Speedwell Veronica officinalis: A species which, as its name suggests, prefers heathy soils on
banks or clearings in woodland and is not found, in this area, on the boulder-clay. It often seems scarce
but is one of those species that can respond dramatically to coppicing, as was the case in Deerslade
Wood in 1997-98 and Stoneymore Wood two years later. Also recorded in recent years from Great and
Little Edney Woods, Coppice, Birch and Parson's Springs, Ellis, Barrow, College, Fryerning and King
Woods and both Edney and Mill Green Commons plus a variety of field-banks (and even neglected
garden lawns) elsewhere.
Wood Speedwell Veronica montana: This species obviously finds the soils of the main Forest complex
much to iis liking as it is common and widespread throughout, records coming from ancient coppices
such as Great and Little Edney Wood, Edney Common, The Mores, Ellis, King and South Woods and
those - like Writtle Park Wood, Hockley Shaw, Parkponds Spring, The Grove and Bushy Wood - that
are of more recent origin. It appears to be absent, though, from all the small copses on the boulder-clay
apart from Horsfrith.
Common Cow-wheat Melampyrum pratense: A species that has undoubtedly suffered from the lack
of coppicing in the immediate post-war period. Even where coppicing has been resumed it is slow to
respond - although around a dozen plants appeared in Deerslade Wood after such work was carried out
in 1997-98. Otherwise, 15-20 plants survive on a roadside verge al Mill Green Common - where they
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Essex Naturalist (New Series) 20 (2003)