Coombe Hill
Also within
Condition (Natural England)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ST758941 | — | Unfavourable Recovering | 2.46 | 2012-11-08 |
| ST763941 | — | Favourable | 13.06 | 2012-11-08 |
Habitats
Geology & landscape
Geological Period: Jurassic · Rock Type: Chalk, Limestone
Description
Description Coombe Hill is of special interest for its large area of flower rich, unimproved limestone grassland. It is one of only a few recent sites for the nationally rare limestone woundwort Stachys alpina.* The site occupies moderately steep, mainly south facing slopes close to Wotton under Edge. It consists of a large, unimproved limestone grassland pasture, a small area of ungrazed grassland and a fringe of broadleaved woodland along the western boundary. The underlying geology is Inferior Oolite, a type of Jurassic limestone. The grassland is of the type characteristic of the Cotswolds, being an example of the upright brome tor grass Bromus erectus Brachypodium pinnatum plant community. A survey of 200 Cotswold grasslands found that Coombe Hill ranked in the top ten sites for the abundance of herbs in the turf. It is closely grazed, which is now unusual for a grassland of this type. Many such grasslands have been lost, not only through agricultural improvement but also from abandonment and cessation of grazing. In addition to upright brome and tor grass, other characteristic grasses include sheep's fescue Festuca ovina, meadow oat grass Avenula pratensis and quaking grass Briza media. Herbs typical of this community are present such as salad burnet Poterium sanguisorba, dwarf thistle Cirsium acaule, common rock rose Helianthemum nummularium, small scabious Scabiosa columbaria and wild thyme Thymus praecox. Other more locally restricted lime loving plants occur such as betony Betonica officinalis, horseshoe vetch Hippocrepis comosa and autumn gentian Gentianella amarella. A variety of orchid species are found here including pyramidal orchid Anacamptis pyramidalis, early purple orchid Orchis mascula and bee orchid Ophrys apifera. The diversity of the site is enhanced by patches of scrub, principally blackthorn Prunus spinosa and hawthorn Crataegus monogyna and areas of broadleaved woodland. The woodland canopy is dominated by ash Fraxinus excelsior, pedunculate oak Quercus robur and beech Fagus sylvatica with an understorey of hazel Corylus avellana. Coombe Hill is one of only three Sites of Special Scientific Interest in which the nationally rare limestone woundwort occurs. There is a cluster of past and present sites for limestone woundwort close to Wotton under Edge, one of only two areas in Britain where this plant is found. Limestone woundwort is a biennial or short lived perennial, which appears able to survive for long periods as seed in the ground. It is associated with woodland edge habitats and clearings and often appears after a period of disturbance or woodland management. It has declined in abundance since it was first discovered in this locality in 1897. The site also supports a variety of butterflies including the characteristic Cotswold grassland species, small blue Cupido minimus, chalk hill blue Polyommatus coridon and marbled white Melanargia galatheaa. * A plant specially protected by Schedule 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
Species mentioned
Show the 25 species mentioned in the description, with red-list statusPlant communities
W20 — Montane scrub
Salix lapponum-Luzula sylvatica scrub
Show 107 indicator speciesSalix arbuscula, Salix cinerea, Salix lapponum, Salix myrsinites, Salix phylicifolia, Salix reticulata, Empetrum nigrum, Calluna vulgaris, Salix lanata, Vaccinium myrtillus, Vaccinium uliginosum, Carex atrata, Carex bigelowii, Carex binervis, Carex flacca, Luzula multiflora, Luzula sylvatica, Huperzia selago, Selaginella selaginoides, Aulacomnium palustre, Mnium hornum, Philonotis fontana, Plagiomnium undulatum, Rhizomnium punctatum, Dicranum bonjeanii, Dicranum majus, Dicranum scoparium, Fissidens adianthoides, Racomitrium lanuginosum, Calliergonell cuspidatum, Ctenidium molluscum, Hylocomium splendens, Hypnum callichroum, Hypnum cupressiforme, Palustriella commutatum, Plagiothecium denticulatum, Plagiothecium undulatum, Pleurozium schreberi, Ptilium crista-castrensis, Rhytidiadelphus loreus, Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus, Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus, Sanionia uncinata, Scorpidium revolvens, Thuidium tamariscinum, Atrichum undulatum, Polytrichastrum alpinum, Sphagnum capillifolium, Sphagnum fallax, Sphagnum girgensohnii, Sphagnum palustre, Sphagnum russowii, Sphagnum squarrosum, Sphagnum subnitens, Sphagnum teres, Barbilophozia barbata, Chiloscyphus polyanthos, Diplophyllum albicans, Lophocolea bidentata, Plagiochila porelloides, Ptilidium ciliare, Scapania undulata, Cladonia squamosa, Peltigera canina, Angelica sylvestris, Caltha palustris, Hieraclium spp., Saussurea alpina, Solidago virgaurea, Campanula rotundifolia, Succisa pratensis, Valeriana officinalis, Rhodiola rosea, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Thymus praecox, Epilobium anagallidifolium, Dactylorhiza viridis, Euphrasia officinalis, Rhinanthus minor, Oxalis acetosella, Oxyria digyna, Polygonum viviparum, Rumex acetosa, Anemone nemorosa, Ranunculus acris, Thalictrum alpinum, Alchemilla alpina, Alchemilla glabra, Filipendula ulmaria, Geum rivale, Galium boreale, Galium saxatile, Saxifraga aizoides, Saxifraga hypnoides, Saxifraga oppositifolia, Saxifraga stellaris, Viola riviniana, Agrostis canina, Agrostis capillaris, Anthoxanthum odoratum, Deschampsia cespitosa, Deschampsia flexuosa, Festuca ovina, Festuca rubra, Nardus stricta, Dryopteris dilatata, Phegopteris connectilis
W21 — Hedgerow scrub, Mixed scrub
Crataegus monogyna-Hedera helix scrub
Show 81 indicator speciesHedera helix, Salix cinerea, Acer pseudoplatanus, Ilex aquifolium, Betula pendula, Corylus avellana, Fagus sylvatica, Quercus robur, Fraxinus excelsior, Malus sylvestris, Sorbus aria, Taxus baccata, Ulmus glabra, Ulmus procera, Sambucus nigra, Viburnum lantana, Euonymus europaeus, Cornus sanguinea, Juniperus communis, Ligustrum vulgare, Clematis vitalba, Rhamnus cathartica, Crataegus laevigata, Crataegus monogyna, Prunus spinosa, Juncus effusus, Plagiomnium undulatum, Brachythecium rutabulum, Kindbergia praelonga, Rhynchostegium confertum, Tamus communis, Heracleum sphondylium, Torilis japonica, Arum maculatum, Arctium minus, Cirsium arvense, Lonicera periclymenum, Moehringia trinervia, Silene dioica, Stellaria graminea, Stellaria holostea, Stellaria media agg., Calystegia sepium, Mercurialis perennis, Geranium robertianum, Iris foetidissima, Glechoma hederacea, Lamium purpureum, Origanum vulgare, Stachys sylvatica, Teucrium scorodonia, Allium ursinum, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Circaea lutetiana, Rumex sanguineus, Anemone nemorosa, Ranunculus repens, Fragaria vesca, Geum urbanum, Potentilla sterilis, Poterium sanguisorba, Rosa arvensis, Rosa canina, Rubia peregrina, Rubus fruticosus agg., Galium aparine, Urtica dioica, Viola riviniana, Anisantha sterilis, Arrhenatherum elatius, Brachypodium pinnatum, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Bromopsis erecta, Dactylis glomerata, Elytrigia repens, Holcus lanatus, Holcus mollis, Poa trivialis, Asplenium scolopendrium, Pteridium aquilinum, Dryopteris filix-mas
W22 — Hedgerow scrub, Mixed scrub
Prunus spinosa-Rubus fruticosus scrub
Show 49 indicator speciesHedera helix, Acer campestre, Corylus avellana, Ulex europaeus, Prunus spinosa, Plagiomnium undulatum, Brachythecium rutabulum, Eurhynchium striatum, Kindbergia praelonga, Thuidium tamariscinum, Atrichum undulatum, Lophocolea bidentata, Achillea millefolium, Cardamine flexuosa, Lonicera periclymenum, Moehringia trinervia, Silene dioica, Silene uniflora, Stellaria media agg., Mercurialis perennis, Geranium robertianum, Stachys sylvatica, Teucrium scorodonia, Hyacinthoides non-scripta, Oxalis acetosella, Digitalis purpurea, Plantago lanceolata, Veronica chamaedrys, Armeria maritima, Rumex acetosa, Filipendula ulmaria, Geum urbanum, Rosa canina, Rubus fruticosus agg., Rubus idaeus, Galium aparine, Urtica dioica, Viola riviniana, Agrostis capillaris, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Dactylis glomerata, Festuca rubra, Holcus lanatus, Holcus mollis, Poa trivialis, Asplenium scolopendrium, Pteridium aquilinum, Dryopteris borreri, Dryopteris filix-mas