Southorpe Meadow
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Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TF083031 | — | Favourable | 2.04 | 2015-07-06 |
Description
Area, 1.8 hectares 4.6 ac Description This meadow is one of the few remaining examples of neutral grassland in Cambridgeshire. It is of a type confined to southern Britain and maintained traditionally by grazing and/or haymaking. The type is increasingly scarce due to changing agricultural trends. The meadow shows a ridge and furrow structure and this introduces a range of soil moisture conditions which is reflected in the distribution of species. On the drier areas the sward includes such characteristic species as red fescue Festuca rubra, sweet vernal grass Anthoxanthum odoratum, cowslip Primula veris and the green winged orchid Anacamptis morio. On the damper areas species such as salad burnet Poterium sanguisorba and lady’s smock Cardamine pratensis are characteristic. The diversity of the species rich sward is further enhanced by an underlying calcareous influence.
Species mentioned
Show the 6 species mentioned in the description, with red-list status| English name search for this in other sites |
Latin name search with Google |
IUCN / Red List | Type | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| sweet vernal grass | Anthoxanthum odoratum | LC | grass | poaceae |
| red fescue | Festuca rubra | LC | grass | poaceae |
| green-winged orchid | Anacamptis morio | NT | herb | orchidaceae |
| cuckoo-flower | Cardamine pratensis | LC | herb | brassicaceae |
| salad burnet | Poterium sanguisorba | VU | herb | rosaceae |
| cowslip | Primula veris | LC | herb | primulaceae |