Iken Wood
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Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TM394565 | — | Unfavourable Recovering | 5.3 | 2024-03-18 |
Description
Description Iken Wood lies close to the banks of the River Alde and may well be the only ancient coppice wood on blown sand in Britain. It is the most interesting example of lowland coppice oak wood in Suffolk and has a distinctive flora typical of woods on light soils. The wood is almost entirely of the lowland hazel, pedunculate oak stand type with a small area of invasive elm wood, which is unusual for such an acidic soil. Huge oak Quercus robur standards are dominant with scattered silver birch Betula pendula, holly Ilex aquifolium and rowan Sorbus aucuparia. The oak was last coppiced over a century ago and now forms part of the canopy with some stools of 9 feet diameter. Beneath the widely spaced oaks are discrete stands of holly and hazel Corylus avellana coppice. Bracken Pteridium aquilinum covers most of the wood with occasional bramble Rubus fruticosus and butcher's broom Ruscus aculeatus. Beneath is abundant bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta, white climbing fumitory Corydalis claviculata, greater stitchwort Stellaria holostea and three nerved sandwort Moehringia trinervia. A marked transition occurs beneath the elm wood where characteristic associates include ground ivy Glechoma hederacea, rough meadow grass Poa trivialis, cow parsley Anthriscus sylvestris and bur chervil A. caucalis.
Species mentioned
Show the 15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| bracken | Pteridium aquilinum | LC | fern | dennstaedtiaceae |
| rough meadow grass | Poa trivialis | LC | grass | poaceae |
| wild chervil | Anthriscus sylvestris | LC | herb | apiaceae |
| corydalis | Corydalis claviculata | Not listed in GB list | herb | fumariaceae |
| ground ivy | Glechoma hederacea | LC | herb | lamiaceae |
| bluebell | Hyacinthoides non-scripta | LC | herb | liliaceae |
| three nerved sandwort | Moehringia trinervia | LC | herb | carophyllaceae |
| bramble | Rubus fruticosus | LC | herb | rosaceae |
| common stitchwort | Stellaria holostea | LC | herb | carophyllaceae |
| butchers-broom | Ruscus aculeatus | LC | shrub | liliaceae |
| birch | Betula pendula | LC | tree | betulaceae |
| hazel | Corylus avellana | LC | tree | corylaceae |
| holly | Ilex aquifolium | LC | tree | aquifoliaceae |
| common oak | Quercus robur | LC | tree | fagaceae |
| rowan | Sorbus aucuparia | LC | tree | rosaceae |
Plant communities
A9 — Fast flowing river and stream, Marginal and inundation, Pond ditch and canal, Sluggish river and stream
Potamogeton natans community
Show 20 indicator speciesSchoenoplectus lacustris, Juncus bulbosus, Sparganium angustifolium, Sparganium erectum, Sparganium minimum, Alisma plantago-aquatica, Lobelia dortmanna, Equisetum fluviatile, Myriophyllum alterniflorum, Elodea canadensis, Lemna minor, Lemna trisulca, Nymphaea alba, Callitriche platycarpa, Callitriche stagnalis, Littorella uniflora, Potamogeton natans, Ranunculus trichophyllus, Glyceria fluitans, Chara subspinosa
A14 — Fast flowing river and stream
Myriophyllum alterniflorum community
Show 15 indicator speciesIsolepis fluitans, Juncus bulbosus, Fontinalis antipyretica, Lobelia dortmanna, Equisetum fluviatile, Myriophyllum alterniflorum, Lemna minor, Callitriche stagnalis, Littorella uniflora, Potamogeton filiformis, Potamogeton gramineus, Potamogeton natans, Ranunculus peltatus, Chara spp., Nitella hyalina
A17 — Chalk river and stream, Fast flowing river and stream
Ranunculus penicillatus ssp. pseudofluitans community
Show 11 indicator speciesBerula erecta, Nasturtium officinale, Elodea canadensis, Lemna minor, Callitriche stagnalis, Veronica beccabunga, Polygonum amphibium, Polygonum hydropiper, Potamogeton crispus, Potamogeton pectinatus, Ranunculus penicillatus ssp. pseudofluitans
A18 — Fast flowing river and stream
Ranunculus fluitans community
Show 12 indicator speciesFontinalis antipyretica, Fontinalis squamosa var. curnowii, Myriophyllum alterniflorum, Myriophyllum spicatum, Elodea canadensis, Mentha aquatica, Lemna gibba, Lemna minor, Potamogeton perfoliatus, Ranunculus fluitans, Glyceria fluitans, Phalaris arundinacea
W25 — Bracken scrub
Pteridium aquilinum-Rubus fruticosus underscrub
Show 53 indicator speciesHedera helix, Acer pseudoplatanus, Fagus sylvatica, Quercus robur, Fraxinus excelsior, Sambucus nigra, Ulex europaeus, Crataegus monogyna, Prunus spinosa, Luzula multiflora, Mnium hornum, Brachythecium rutabulum, Kindbergia praelonga, Angelica sylvestris, Conopodium majus, Heracleum sphondylium, Arum maculatum, Cirsium arvense, Lonicera periclymenum, Silene dioica, Stellaria holostea, Mercurialis perennis, Geranium robertianum, Glechoma hederacea, Teucrium scorodonia, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Chamerion angustifolium, Circaea lutetiana, Digitalis purpurea, Rumex acetosa, Anemone nemorosa, Ficaria verna, Potentilla erecta, Rosa arvensis, Rosa canina, Rubus fruticosus agg., Rubus idaeus, Galium aparine, Galium mollugo sens.lat., Galium saxatile, Urtica dioica, Viola riviniana, Agrostis capillaris, Anthoxanthum odoratum, Arrhenatherum elatius, Dactylis glomerata, Festuca rubra, Holcus lanatus, Holcus mollis, Poa trivialis, Pteridium aquilinum, Dryopteris dilatata, Dryopteris filix-mas