Amenity (wind break)
Alder, various – (Alnus glutinosa/cordata/viridis/incana/rubra)
A pioneer species, Alder is a member of the birch family of trees, Betulaceae and can reach 25 metres in height. It can grow vigorously when young and can put on as much as 90cm per year. The twigs are sometimes sticky to the touch (which gives rise to the second part of its binomial name, glutinosa, which means sticky). Alder is monoecious, so each tree bears both male and female flowers. Alder forms a symbiotic relationship with a bacterium (Frankia alni) which fixes nitrogen from the air helping to improve soil fertility.
Ash - (Fraxinus excelsior) Can grow to a height of 30 metres, with a spread of 20m. Most flowering plants have flowers that contain both male and female parts, while some produce separate male and female flowers on different plants. Provides a useful source of firewood as it can almost be burned green.
Beech, green/copper – (Fagus sylvatica/purpurea) Can grow to a height of 40 metres. Male and Female flowers appear on the same leaf. Being relatively shallow rooted, Beech prefers free draining soils and often grows well on chalk.
Birch, silver/downy – (Betula pendula/punescens) Birches are another pioneer species and are relatively short lived, sixty years being a good age for a mature specimen. Birch leafs often droop at the tip which is why its scientific name is pendula or hanging. Seed from the drooping Male catkins is released in the spring when the leafs open and dispersed by the wind. Birch wood is traditionally used for broom heads and tools handles.
Chestnut, sweet/horse – (Castanea sativa/aesculus hippocastanum) Originally from the Mediterranean Chestnut can grow into a large tall tree with deeply grooved or fissured bark. Both male and female flowers grow on the same stalk and seed is dispersed by insects.
Cherry, wild/bird – (Prunus avium/padus) Can grow to a height of 30 metres with smooth purplish-brown bark with prominent horizontal lines.
Fruits are bright red to dark purple when mature in mid summer and are edible, with a somewhat astringent and bitter taste when eatten fresh. Fruits contain a single hard-shelled stone with seeds inside. The fruit are readily eaten by numerous birds and mammals, which digest the fruit flesh and disperse the seeds in their droppings.
Hornbeam - (Carpinus betulus) – Grows to a height of between 10 to 20 metres. Dark green corrugated leaves turn golden yellow in autumn. Bark smooth and dark. Flowering catkins are produced between May and June with wing seed dispersed in the autumn. Similar in many ways to beech. Booth species keep their leaves well into winter particulary when planted as a hedge. Likes heavy wet ground and is abundant in the south of the country. Wood is very hard and difficult to work so was historically often used for smaller objects such as cogs, mallets, wheels, skittles and pulleys. Burns very hot. –
Lime, small/large leaved – (Tilia cordata/platyphyllos)
Maple, Field/Norway – (Acer campestre/platanoides) – Grows to about 15-25m tall. Field Maple has brown bark which can become fissured almost cork-like. Leaves turn orange/red in the autumn before falling. Produces a small flower in the spring at the same time as the leaves open. “Winged” seed is dispersed by wind.
Oak, various – (Quercus robur/petraea/rubra/cerris/ ilex) Grows to about 35m. The flowers appear in mid spring with the leaves. Fruit (acorns) ripen in the autumn and are a valuable food source.
Rowan - (Sorbus aucuparia) – A small to medium sized tree which grows to about 10 m tall. Produces large corymbs of tiny white flowers followed by small round green berries which turn red when ripe. An important food source for Redwings, Fieldfares, Blackbirds, Mistle Thrush and Waxwings. Although very bitter, the berries can be made in Rowan jelly or jam.
Whitebeam - (Sorbus aria/devoniensis) – Medium sized tree which grows to a height of 12-15m . Its leaves are a greyish white at first, but then turn green on top with a white hairy felt-like underside, which turns a gold/russet colour in the autumn. It produces white flowers in May time which are pollinated by insects producing bunches of deep crimson fruits, a valuable food source for birds.
Often found growing in lowland sandy or well draining solis particulary in the south of the country.
Wild service tree - (Sorbus torminalis) – A medium to large tree which grows to a height of between 10 to 15 metres. Leaves similar to those of Maples although service trees have two distinctly seperate lobes towards the base of the leaf. Leaves dark green in the summer turning red in the autumn. Prefers heavy clay soils and is often found in ancient woodlands or hedgerows.
Fruits ripen in the autumn and were often sold in markets as they taste sweet and were popular with children.
Pedunculate Oak - (Quercus robur)
Sliver Birch - (Betula pendula)
Pedunculate Oak - (Quercus robur)
