The woodland flora of the Forest of Writtle and surrounding area
species, along with Dicranella heteromalla on wood-banks in the main Forest complex.
Rhizomnium punctatum. A small quantity was found in 1994 on broken drainage tiles on a stream bed
in Ellis Wood, where they persisted for several years, while Tim Pyner also found it in South Wood in
April 2002.
[Plagiomnium cuspidatum: A couple of small patches of this species were found in The Mores in
January 2000. Distinguished by the narrow cells, which are not arranged in divergent rows, and the leaf
margins, which are only toothed in the upper half This is apparently a rare species in Essex - something
of which 1 was unaware when 1 collected it - so it needs confirmation.]
Plagiomnium affine: Recorded in small quantity from The Mores on a number of dates; also from
Fryerning Churchyard in March 2000 and Bushy Wood in January 2003.
Plagiomnium undulatum: Recorded only from Stoneyraore Wood, The Grove and South Wood but
this species appears to be fairly common on the chalky boulder-clay in the north and west of the survey
area.
Plagiomnium rostratum: Recorded by Ken Adams in Jermyn from 'calcerous tufa in a woodland
stream' in The Moors, Roxwell.
Aulacomnium androgynum: Fairly common and widespread on rotting wood in woodlands on neutral
to acidic soils throughout the survey area.
Orthotrichales
Orthotrichum affine: Found in woodland only in Horsfrith - a wood whose old coppice stools are
festooned with bryophytes - where it proved to be fairly common in May 2002, and from Parson's
Spring in December 2002, the latter recorded by Tim Pyner.
Orthotrichum diaphanum: Common and widespread on stone and brick-work in the area as a whole,
but the only woodland record concerns Horsfrith, where it was sharing the same woodland hosts as the
above but in smaller quantities.
Orthotrichum stramineum: A very scarce species in southern England, although it is slowly increasing
due to lower levels of sulphur dioxide. Grows on bark. It was recorded from South Wood in April 2002
by Tim Pyner.
Ulota bruchii: A tree-growing species that is scarce in south-east England. Recorded from Parson's
Spring in December 2002 by Tim Pyner.
Thuidialcs
Thuidium tamariscinum: The only woodland record comes from Birch Spring, where it was found by
Tim Pyner in January 1990.
Hypnobryales
Campyliadelphus elodes (- Campylium elodes): Recorded by Ken Adams from a marshy area of Mill
Green Common in 1971, where it was growing with Acroladium cuspidatum. No subsequent records.
Amblystegium serpens: Common and widespread on tree boles and banks in woodland and elsewhere
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Essex Naturalist (New Series) 20 (2003)