Bryophytes of St Leonard's Forest 03.02.23

St Leonard's Forest was a large forest that covered much of the Weald of East and West Sussex; only fragments of this great forest remain. These photos were taken on a visit to the Forestry England's St. Leonard's Forest, and the remnants of St Leonard's Forest outside the Forestry England reserve, around Manning's Heath and Leechpool Woods

I saw 20 species of mosses and liverworts; I probably saw many more but didn't know they were different species. All of the identifications below are provisional; I am a beginner bryologist and may have got my IDs wrong!

St. Leonards Forest is an SSSI [Sight of Special Scientific Interest]

Map from DEFRA's Magic Maps

Reasons for Notification:

This site includes the remnants of a formerly more extensive deciduous forest on the Tunbridge Wells Sands (Hastings Beds) 3km east of Horsham. Examples of high forest remain and the ground vegetation is still varied, and the streams which cross the site retain relict flora from the ‘Atlantic’ period of same 5000 years ago.

Much of the deciduous woodland is dominated by pedunculate oak Quercus robur with silver birch Betula pendula, common birch B. pubescens and beech Fagus sylvatica. The shrub layer includes holly Ilex aquifolium and hazel Corylus avellana with hawthorn Crataegus monogyna, blackthorn Prunus spinosa and guelder rose Viburnum populus.

Also included in the site are areas of conifer plantation, largely consisting of Scots pine Pinus sylvestris and Corsican pine P. nigra.

The ground flora of the deciduous woodland is dominated by bracken Pteridium aquilinum, bramble Rubus fruticosus and honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum, with bluebell

Endymion non-scriptus, primrose Primula vulgaris and common violet Viola riviniana. At Lilybeds there is a large colony of wild Lily-of-the-valley Convallaria majalis. In the more open areas of woodland, and along the rides in the plantations, species characteristic of heathland occur including ling Calluna vulgaris, cross-leaved heath Erica tetralix and ivyleaved bellflower Wahlenbergia hederacea.

The humid microclimate of sheepwash gill has enabled the ‘atlantic’ bryophytes (mosses and liverworts) Hookeria lucens, and Hyoconium flagellare to survive. The presence of these plants indicate the continuity of woodland cover at this site for the past 5000 years.

The damp areas adjacent to the gills have stands of alder Alnus glutinosa with common sallow Salix cinerea. Along the edge of Hawkins pond damp woodlands grade through alder and willow carr to emergent vegetation dominated by reedmace Typha latifolia with water plantain Alisma plantago-aquatica, bulrush Schoenoplectus lacustris and bladder sedge Carex vesicaria. Hawkins pond itself is largely free of floating vegetation although inthe shallow areas there are rafts of broad-leaved pondweed Potamogeton natans, yellow water lily Nuphar lutea and water crowfoot Ranunculus peltatus. The rare moss Micromitrium tenerum has been recorded on patches of drying mud, while the rare liverwort Riccia huebeneriana also occurs in the pond.

Dicranoweisia cirrata