APPENDIX A. SPECIES LIST 1996 - 2001
including abundance, expressed as percentage frequency.

Summary

• Percentage frequency = the percentage of the total number of quadrats sampled over the whole site which contain the species. For example, a percentage frequency of 100%, means that the species was found in all quadrats sampled.

• Percentage frequencies have been rounded to the nearest whole number, except for those which are less than 1%.

• A + sign indicates that the species was seen on the site, but was not found in any of the quadrats sampled.

• A simple definition of a heathland is 'a community of dwarf shrubs where heathers predominate'. However, beyond this very broad description, heathland habitats come in a variety of subtly different forms, each with slightly different assemblages of plant species. The plant species present on any one heath will depend on geographical area, elevation, microclimate and soil characteristics (in particular the amount of soil water typically present). A few plants are characteristic of almost all heaths (e.g. Heather/Ling and gorses), while others may be characteristic of certain types of heath.
  
  Species often associated with heath habitats in one form or another are picked out in green text.

SPECIES

COMMON NAME

% Freq

MOSSES

1996

1997

1998

1999

0.3

+

+

+

0.8

+

1.6

5

+

+

+

2

7

1

+

+

10

+

0.7

23

34

+

17

20

+

Hard Fern

3

4

5

Narrow Buckler Fern

Male Fern

Common Polypody

Bracken

3

11

9

Bluebell

27

10

18

Lords & Ladies

+

Velvet Bent

+

4

8

Common Bent

+

67

81

Bristle Bent

+

9

14

Creeping Bent

+

21

16

Brown Bent

Barren Brome

Sweet Vernal Grass

2

0.4

False Oat Grass

4

5

1

Hairy Brome

+

Tufted Hair-grass

0.4

Cocksfoot

Yorkshire Fog

51

59

80

Purple Moor-grass

Green-ribbed Sedge

10

22

Glaucous Sedge

Yellow Sedges

4

5

Smooth-stalked Sedge

14

9

12

Pale Sedge

+

Pill Sedge

+

2

17

Wood Sedge

+

3

10

Thin-spiked Wood Sedge

+

Sharp-flowered Rush

Compact Rush

33

28

21

Soft Rush

13

6

10

Field Woodrush

+

5

Heath Woodrush

17

9

10

Hairy Woodrush

+

+

8

Wood Anemone

+

Creeping Buttercup

0.7

Tutsan

0.7

+

0.4

Perforate St John's Wort

Slender St John’s Wort

56

52

42

Red Campion

+

Common Dog-violet

31

33

46

Wood Sorrel

0.7

2

2

Greater Bird’s Foot Trefoil

8

10

15

Red Clover

0.4

+

White (Dutch) Clover

+

Common Gorse

53

33

32

Western Gorse

+

Hawthorn

Wild Strawberry

Tormentil

+

1

5

Barren Strawberry

1

Cherry

15

13

17

Bramble

36

46

54

Raspberry

2

+

+

Rowan

+

1

2

Rosebay Willowherb

0.8

+

1

Enchanter’s Nightshade

0.7

+

2

Broad-leaved Willowherb

0.7

+

0.4

Common Nettle

Holly

3

2

2

Ivy

1

3

4

Sweet Chestnut

Beech

+

+

+

Oak

1

2

Silver Birch

21

36

37

Hazel

Eared Willow

1

4

3

Goat Willow/Great Sallow

0.4

0.7

Sycamore

11

1

Heather (Ling)

6

11

12

Bell Heather

0.8

2

3

Rhododendron

0.3

1

Yellow Pimpernel

19

14

17

Primrose

1

0.4

2

Ash

1

Common Centaury

2

0.4

Foxglove

28

19

8

Common Figwort

0.5

Germander Speedwell

3

3

2

Wood Speedwell

4

Heath Speedwell

10

12

16

Bugle

6

10

10

Selfheal

+

Hedge Woundwort

3

3

9

Wood Sage

6

10

11

Himalayan Honeysuckle

Honeysuckle

2

1

Red-berried Elder

4

Marsh Bedstraw

2

0.4

2

Lesser Burdock

2

+

0.6

Field Thistle

3

3

5

Marsh Thistle

9

5

7

Spear Thistle

+

Hemp-agrimony

1

2

1

Cat’s Ear

0.2

5

5

Autumn Hawkbit

Common Fleabane

+

Ragwort

Dandelion

Summary ... the data at a glance, with notes.

• !20 different plant species have been recorded on the Heathland Restoration Project site over the 6 years from 1996 -2001.
  
  Heathlands are typically species-poor and are generally dominated by a few plant species specially adapted to survive the nutrient-poor, often dry, sandy soils characteristic of heathland habitats. The relatively large number of species recorded on the project site reflects the fact that it is a habitat in flux, where many colonizing species are competing with each other. As time passes, the number of plant species is likely to decrease, as the heath species most suited to the microconditions of the site begin to dominate and out-compete the more opportunistic species.

• Approximately 15% of the recorded species occurred with a percentage frequency of 20% or more over the whole project site. This means that the majority of the species recorded above are neither abundant, nor widespread on the site. However, some species are quite abundant in some sections of the site and not in others. This means that when their percentage frequency of occurrence is averaged out over the whole site, they appear less common than they actually are in certain areas of the project site. This includes species such as Tormentil and Bell Heather.

• Heather and Bell Heather have been part of the naturally regenerating plant community from the beginning. Heather has gradually increased on the site, reaching a relatively steady percentage frequency of occurrence over the past 3 years, as has Bell Heather. This stands at approximately 20% frequency for Heather and approximately 6% frequency for Bell Heather.

• Other characteristic heath species such as Tormentil, Heath Speedwell and the moss, Hypnum jutlandicum are slowly increasing in abundance. Typical heath grasses such as Bristle Bent have also begun to colonize the site.

• European Gorse, which is a characteristic colonizer of areas of disturbed ground, is well established on the project site. Western Gorse, which is typical of heaths in this geographical region (Devon, SW England) has begun to appear on the site.

• Silver Birch, which is the pioneer tree species most involved in the natural succession of heathland to woodland, has occurred with an approximate frequency of 30 - 40% across the whole site over the past 5 years.

• It can clearly be seen that pioneer species such as Foxglove were initially quite abundant but have declined with time, as would be expected.