The woodland flora of the Forest of Writtle and surrounding area
this species does not grow T have yet to find it!
Eurhynchium hians (= E. swartzii): Recorded from The Grove and Elmfield Farm Copse in January
2001 and South Wood by Tim Pyner in April 2002.
Plagiothecium denticulatum: Probably widespread on the mildly acidic soils of the main Forest complex.
Recorded from an open marshy area of The Mores on 1st February 2000, a similarly open area on
stream bank on the edge of Mill Green Common in March 2000 and on a clay boundary bank at
Horsfrith on May 31st 2002.
Plagiothecium curvifolium: By far the commonest member of this family to be found in woodland on
acidic soils. Recorded from Birch Spring, Parson's Spring, Coppice Spring, Stoneymore Wood, The
Mores, Mill Green Common, The Grove, Osborne's Wood, Elmfield Farm Copse, South Wood and
Horsfrith.
Plagiothecium succulentum: Scarce. Largely absent from the more acidic soils it has been recorded
only from Birch Spring, Stoneymore Wood, Hockley Shaw, Osborne's Wood, South Wood and The
Hyde Lake.
Plagiothecium nemorale: Found in similar habitats to the above and equally scarce. Recorded from
The Grove, Osborne's Wood and Horsfrith.
Pseudotaxiphyllum elegans (=Isopterygium elegans): Recorded from Hockley Shaw, Stoneymore
and Deerslade Woods, Birch and Parson's Springs, Mill Green Common, The Grove, Fryerning
Churchyard and The Hyde Lake but probably far more widespread than this in woodlands on neutral or
mildly acidic soils.
Hypnum cupressiforme var. cupressiforme: An abundant moss throughout the area on a wide variety
of habitats including wood-banks and tree roots.
Hypnum resupinatum (= H. cupressiforme var. resupinatum): Common and widespread throughout
the area on trees and rotting logs in woodland.
Hypnum andoi (=H. mammillatum): Recorded in small quantity from Birch Spring, Parson's Spring,
Hockley Shaw, Stoneymore Wood and The Mores but probably more plentiful and widespread than
these few records suggest.
Hypnum jutlandicum: Recorded by Tim Pyner from Parson's Spring in December 1984, Birch Spring
in January 1990 and Stoncymore Wood in December 1990 while several large patches were found
growing in Deschampsia flexuosa grassland on Mill Green Common on 10th March 2002.
Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus: Ken Adams described this species in Jermyn as 'thinly scattered, locally
plentiful, but declining'. That is certainly not the case today as it is an abundant bryophyte in lawns and
many other types of grassland. It is plentiful in the heather-grassland at Mill Green Common and also
occurs at Fryerning Churchyard.
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Essex Naturalist (New Series) 20 (2003)