Title
Irish-British-Norman mixed pedunculate ash-oak forests (Quercus robur, Quercus petraea, Fraxinus excelsior, partly with Fagus sylvatica) with Hyacinthoides non-scripta
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Ireland: above all in the south, southeast and north; Great Britain: north Ireland, lowland in southwest, central and northern England, Wales, Cornwall, south and east Scotland; France: Normandy (Cotentin peninsula), Brittany (Loirent)
area frequency
47 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Quercus robur-Pteridium aquilinum-Rubus fruticosus woodland (W10) Rodwell 1991, Fraxinus excelsior-Mercurialis perennis woodland (W9) Rodwell 1991; Blechno-Quercetum coryletosum Braun-Blanquet & Tüxen 1952. (In France Querco-Fraxinetum author ?, Corylo-Fraxinetum author ?).
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
High forests with a tree layer as high as 20 m or more, dominated by oaks (usually Quercus robur, locally and in Ireland with Q. petraea). Birches are companions (mainly Betula pendula, in Ireland Betula pubescens); Fraxinus excelsior, Ulmus glabra and (naturalised) Acer pseudoplatanus. The latter appears more frequently in the moister west and north (and also in France). The introduced Fagus sylvatica is quite common, however, but has a small degree of coverage and rejuvenates spontaneously. Tilia cordata, Carpinus betulus and (naturalised) Castanea sativa sometimes occur in Great Britain. Shrub layer with dominant Corylus avellana as well as Crataegus monogyna, Crataegus laevigata, Ilex aquifolium (in moister areas), Sorbus aucuparia and locally Sambucus nigra. The lower shrub layer often consists of Rubus fruticosus and Lonicera periclymenum. Hyacinthoides non-scripta is the dominant species of the herb layer which is characteristic in the spring, and often Pteridium aquilinum becomes dominant in the midsummer. In Ireland there are numerous ferns. Bryophytes do not play any special role, but increase towards the west.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
dominating Quercus robur, partly Quercus petraea, admixed Betula pendula, (Betula pubescens), Fraxinus excelsior, Ulmus glabra, Acer pseudoplatanus (introduced), locally Fagus sylvatica (introduced), scattered in Great Britain Tilia cordata, Carpinus betulus, Castanea sativa (introduced), Prunus avium
Shrub layer
Corylus avellana, Crataegus monogyna, Crataegus laevigata, Ilex aquifolium, Sorbus aucuparia, Sambucus nigra. In France with Viburnum opulus, Cornus sanguinea, Euonymus europaea; lower shrub layer: Rubus fruticosus agg., Lonicera periclymenum
Lianas
Lonicera periclymenum, Hedera helix
Herb layer
Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Stellaria holostea, Anemone nemorosa, Oxalis acetosella, Dryopteris filix-mas, Dryopteris affinis subsp. borreri, Dryopteris dilatata, Polystichum setiferum, Hedera helix, Pteridium aquilinum, Holcus mollis, Blechnum spicant, Luzula sylvatica, Carex sylvatica, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Primula acaulis, Sanicula europaea
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Thuidium tamariscinum, Rhytidiadelphus loreus, Eurhynchium striatum
Diagnostically important species
Quercus robur, Fraxinus excelsior; Corylus avellana; Hyacinthoides non-scripta (has its optimum in Great Britain in this forest type), Anemone nemorosa, Dryopteris affinis subsp. borreri, Dryopteris filix-mas, Silene dioica (only for Great Britain), Stellaria holostea
Ecological variants
Transitions to acidophilous oak forests, rich and wet ash and oak-alder forests as well as woodruff-beech forests.
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
To the west and the north the more thermophilous species disappear little by little and the community transforms into richer Quercion forests (F2). Quercus robur and Betula pendula are replaced in Ireland by Quercus petraea or Betula pubescens, while ferns and bryophytes also play a more important role there. Elements of acidophilous oak forests occur particularly in the west, such as Luzula sylvatica, Blechnum spicant, Holcus mollis, Pteridium aquilinum, Vaccinium myrtillus. Along the northern coast of Brittany the unit usually includes Ilex aquifolium, Ruscus aculeatus, Primula acaulis, Conopodium majus, Holcus mollis etc.. At coastal ravines the forests are dominated by Ulmus minor with Rubia peregrina (Rubio-Ulmetum Géhu 1985).
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Characteristic soil-defined complexes with Carpinion forests (on lime-richer soils), Quercion forests (on acidic soils) or Alno-Ulmion forests (on patches with trickling water). Within the range of Fagus sylvatica the unit can also closely interdigitate with beech dominated Galio odarati-Fagion forests and it seems likely that Fagus sylvatica and Quercus robur compete here for dominance.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
montane birch forests (C16), coastal heaths (E6, E11, E13), acidophilous oak forests (F1, F2, F3, F4, F8), mixed oak-ash forests (F28, F29, F31), species-poor beech forests (F76), species-rich beech forests (F104, F105), dune vegetation (P5, P6), salt vegetation (P18, P19, P23), blanket bogs (S5, S7), raised bogs (S8), alder carrs (T1), birch carrs and degraded lowland-raised bogs (T4, T5, T7), alluvial and moist forests (U7, U23, U24, U28).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Extensive wide-stemmed tree (mostly oak) and low forest usage (mostly Corylus avellana, locally also Tilia spp., Carpinus betulus and Castanea sativa); plantations, particularly of oak, Fraxinus spp., Acer pseudoplatanus and Fagus sylvatica outside of their range, or of poplars.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Grazing land usage with fertilized Cynosurion grassland, locally a number of traditional Cynosurion pastures remain preserved. Numerous Arrhenatherion and Holco-Juncion stands. Pteridium aquilinum stands on sandy soils.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Converted into arable land in large parts, particularly for intensive cereal cultivation in the drier southeast of Ireland and Great Britain. Herbicides have successfully depleted the weed communities, an locally Chenopodietea, Plantaginetea, Artemisietea or Atropion stands can still occur.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
Artemisietea or Plantaginetea communities in smaller places.
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
Gently undulating plains or valleys consisting of clay, clay slates or boulder clay
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
lowland to colline; mostly below 200 m
Geology (bedrock)
sandstone, slate, clay slate (Devonian, Carboniferous) and other siliceous rocks (superimposed by ice-age boulders). Locally basalt in North Ireland (Tertiary). In France till above Cretaceous, covered by loess loam. At the north coast of Bretagne acidic loess loam covers above Amorican substrate (Palaeozoic, Precambrian).
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
deep, acidic brown soils, partly weakly podzolized, partly pseudogleyed; (dystric, eutric and gleyic cambisols)
soil texture
loamy to clayey, locally sandy
soil moisture, water balance
fresh to moderately dry
soil reaction
acidic, moderately acidic (pH 4,5-5,4 (6,3))
soil fertility
mesotrophic to meso-eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
V(IV)2, V(V)2, V(VI)1, V(VI)2, VI1b, VI2, VI3a, VI3b, VI(V)2, VI(X)
average annual temperature
8-12 EC
average annual precipitation
600-1300 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
July 14-17 EC
average temperature of the coldest month
February 3-7 EC
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
In large parts less than 180 rain days per year.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Only small sized stands are preserved (mostly on land that is hard to cultivate). Until now only older stands with a rich tree and shrub flora or certain individual low forests have been protected.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
This forest type contains only a few floristic rarities. Since its main range in Europe is within Great Britain and Ireland, representative stands are particularly worthy of protection.
causes of endangerment
Agricultural land usage, transformation of remnants into coniferous and deciduous plantations, recreational use, waste disposal.
required measures for protection and restitution
Protection and regeneration of representative semi-natural stands.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Great Britain: Blean Woods, Hann Street Woods, Moccas Park, Swanton Novers, Yorner Wood and many National Trust- and locally nature reserves; Ireland: numerous small areas, mostly protected in connection to units F1 and F2: e. g. Killarney National Park, Vale of Clara, Rosturra wood.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Bugnon, Rameau, Royer & Brunaud 1985; Corillion 1965a; Corillion 1965b; Corillion 1969; Corillion & Guerlesquin 1971; Frileux, Géhu & Lavergne 1970; Géhu 1985a; Kelly 1975; Kelly & Moore 1975; Klötzli 1970; Moss 1911b; Moss 1913; Moss, Rankin & Tansley 1910; Peterken 1981; Rackham 1980; Salisbury 1916; Salisbury 1918; Tansley (Ed.) 1911
Compiled by
J.R. Cross under use of documents by J.S. Rodwell, A. Noirfalise
