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The word ‘native’ in this context has to be used loosely because many of the tree species that you would consider as native to this country are not. There are intellectuals out there who believe that only those species that existed here before the formation of the English Channel – approximately 20,000 years ago - actually qualify as our true British natives.
However, there is a slight problem with that definition because prior to that specific period in time the British land mass – as it was then – was either covered in frozen tundra or melting glaciers. These conditions would have made the spread and growth of existing trees virtually impossible.
The so called ‘true natives’ – as far as I can ascertain - are list below.
Scots Pine – Pinus sylvestris
Common Juniper – Juniperus communis (S)
Common Juniper – Juniperus communis (S)
Trees that would have quickly colonised the wet mudflats after the last ice-age had passed are as follows
Bay Willow – Salix pentandra
Black Popular – Populus nigra
Crack Willow – Salix fragilis (S)Common Beech – Fagus sylvatica
Downey Birch – Betula pubescens
Elder – Sambucus nigra (S)European Aspen – Populus tremula
European Larch - Larix europaea
Silver Birch – Betula pendula
European or Black Alder –Alnus glutinosa (S)
Common Hornbeam – Carpinus betulus
Goat Willow – Salix caprea (S)Grey Willow – Salix cinerea (S)
Wych Elm – Ulmus glabra
English Elm – Ulmus procera
Black Popular – Populus nigra
Crack Willow – Salix fragilis (S)Common Beech – Fagus sylvatica
Downey Birch – Betula pubescens
Elder – Sambucus nigra (S)European Aspen – Populus tremula
European Larch - Larix europaea
Silver Birch – Betula pendula
European or Black Alder –Alnus glutinosa (S)
Common Hornbeam – Carpinus betulus
Goat Willow – Salix caprea (S)Grey Willow – Salix cinerea (S)
Wych Elm – Ulmus glabra
English Elm – Ulmus procera
Trees considered useful by early colonists, merchants and occupying forces.
Apple – Malus sylvestris
Common Ash – Fraxinus excelsior
Blackthorn – Prunus spinosa (S)Common Box – Buxus sempervirens (S)Common Lime - Tilia cordata
Damson – prunus insititia
English Oak – Quecus robur
Field Maple – Acer campestre
Gage - Prunus domestica
Hawthorn – Crataegus monogynea (S)
Hazel – Corylus avellena (S)
Holly – Ilex aquifolium (S)Large leaved Lime – Tilia platyphyllos
Osier Willow – Salix viminalis
Pear – Pyrus pyraster
Purple Willow – Salix purpurea
Rowan – Sorbus aucuparia
Sessile Oak – Quercus petraea
Small leaved lime – Tilia cordata
Spindle – Euonymous europeus (S)Sycamore – Acer pseudoplatanus
Common Walnut – Juglans regia
Wild Cherry – Prunus avium
Common Ash – Fraxinus excelsior
Blackthorn – Prunus spinosa (S)Common Box – Buxus sempervirens (S)Common Lime - Tilia cordata
Damson – prunus insititia
English Oak – Quecus robur
Field Maple – Acer campestre
Gage - Prunus domestica
Hawthorn – Crataegus monogynea (S)
Hazel – Corylus avellena (S)
Holly – Ilex aquifolium (S)Large leaved Lime – Tilia platyphyllos
Osier Willow – Salix viminalis
Pear – Pyrus pyraster
Purple Willow – Salix purpurea
Rowan – Sorbus aucuparia
Sessile Oak – Quercus petraea
Small leaved lime – Tilia cordata
Spindle – Euonymous europeus (S)Sycamore – Acer pseudoplatanus
Common Walnut – Juglans regia
Wild Cherry – Prunus avium
The more recent introductions
Bird Cherry – Prunus padus (S)Sweet Chestnut – Castanea sativa
Strawberry tree – Arbutus unedo (S)Common Lime - Tilia cordata
Large leaved Lime – Tilia platyphyllos
Whitebeam - Sorbus aria (S)
White Willow – Salix alba
Wild Service tree – Sorbus torminalis
Yew tree – Taxus baccata (S)
Strawberry tree – Arbutus unedo (S)Common Lime - Tilia cordata
Large leaved Lime – Tilia platyphyllos
Whitebeam - Sorbus aria (S)
White Willow – Salix alba
Wild Service tree – Sorbus torminalis
Yew tree – Taxus baccata (S)
All of these groups - apart from the last - would merit inclusion with regards to individual or government woodland planting schemes. However for those of you who have limited space but would still like to make a difference by planting native trees then consider growing the smaller species. My suggestions have a (S) for ‘small’ listed after them – small being a tree that grows between approximately 3 and 5 metres.
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5 comments:
Hi Simon, what a great reference list. I was glad to see that some of the quintessential English trees like elms and sycamores at least make the "almost really native" list.
Very interesting!
I worked in conservation for a while and know quite a lot about the native flora. Some introduced naturalised species are beneficial and complement our existing flora whilst some invasive species can destroy habitats.
A good read for anyone interest in British woodlands is "Woodlands" by Oliver Rackham - basically the bible of British woodlands.
Anyway, that list isn't right in some places.
"True natives" - not sure what you mean by that term, Scots Pine and Juniper weren't even the first trees back - Aspen and Birches were (figures - wet, post-glacial landscape) followed by Hazel.
I'm not going to write in what order they recolonised because I can't remember without digging out some old books. I'll just add a few notes and corrections to the list.
Early colonizers (in no particular order – all native):
European or Black Alder –Alnus glutinosa (S) – very early colonizer.
Aspen – Populus tremula
Downey Birch – Betula pubescens
Silver Birch – Betula pendula
Scots Pine – Pinus sylvestris – Some people consider it only native to Scotland because it died out in the rest of the UK (largely due to humans cutting it down).
Common Juniper – Juniperus communis (S)
Wild Cherry – Prunus avium
Rowan – Sorbus aucuparia
Hazel – Corylus avellena (S)
Followed by (native)....
Bay Willow – Salix pentandra
Black Popular – Populus nigra
Crack Willow – Salix fragilis
Elder – Sambucus nigra (S)European
Goat Willow – Salix caprea (S)Grey Willow – Salix cinerea (S)
Wych Elm – Ulmus glabra
{Crab} Apple – Malus sylvestris – No, it wasn’t introduced – Malus domestica (the eating apple) was.
Common Ash – Fraxinus excelsior
Blackthorn – Prunus spinosa (S)
Common Box – Buxus sempervirens (S) – Native to Southern England.
Common Lime - Tilia cordata – a natural hybrid of large and small leaved lime – hardier than both.
English Oak – Quecus robur
Field Maple – Acer campestre
{Common} Hawthorn – Crataegus monogynea (S) – we actually have two species, the other one is Midland Hawthorn - Crataegus laevigata
and is native to England and much less common. The two species can produce a lovely hybrid (Crataegus × media) with red blossom (a cultivated version is called “Paul’s Scarlet Hawthorn”).
Holly – Ilex aquifolium (S)
Large leaved Lime – Tilia platyphyllos – both large and small leaved lime declined greatly after the Atlantic warm period. This is because most years it isn’t warm enough for them to produce viable seed. During the Atlantic Warm Period they were common, during that time we are supposed to have had a climate like that of Central France now and this allowed for the uplands to be colonized. After that period ended the climate deteriorated and villages in the uplands (such as Dartmoor) were abandoned.
Sessile Oak – Quercus petraea
Small leaved lime – Tilia cordata
Spindle – Euonymous europeus (S)
Trees which arrived naturally, but late (native):
Common Beech – Fagus sylvatica – Native to Southern England
Common Hornbeam – Carpinus betulus – Native to Southern England
Trees which were introduced but are widely naturalized (non-native):
Early introductions (Archaeophyts):
English Elm – Ulmus procera – introduced with the Romans – all clones of one tree introduced from Europe.
Osier Willow – Salix viminalis – Romans
Purple Willow – Salix purpurea – Romans or Normans
Pear – Pyrus pyraster – very ancient introduction – arrived with Neolithic farmers.
Cultivated Apple – Malus domestica – arrived with Neolithic farmers, before that people ate the native Crab Apple – Malus sylvestris.
Common Walnut – Juglans regia – Roman introduction, but not widely naturalized.
Gages and Plums - Prunus domestica - Neolithic
Damson – prunus insititia – Now considered a subspecies of Prunus domestica – Neolithic.
Recent introductions (Neophytes):
Sycamore – Acer pseudoplatanus – Considered by some to be native to Scotland (the ‘Celtic Maple’ theory) but conservationists hate it. I personally think it is a nice tree when mature.
European Larch - Larix europaea – introduced for forestry.
Some further reading:
Atlantic Warm Period: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_(period)
Wikipedia's page on native trees (it seems to be correct):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trees_of_Britain_and_Ireland
Endemic trees and other plants (species which are only native to Britain and Ireland):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_endemic_species_of_the_British_Isles#Plants
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