W11 - Quereus Petraea-Betula Pubescens-Oxalis Acetosella Woodland

Summary

Synonymy

Caithness birch woods Crampton 1911 p.p.; Betuletum tomentosae Moss 1911 p.p.; Scottish beechwoods Watt 1931 p.p.; Highland birchwoods Tansley 1939 p.p.; Highland oakwoods Tansley 1939 pp.; Heathy birchwood Pigott 1956; Betuletum Oxaleto-Vaccinietum McVean & Ratcliffe 1962 p.p.; Betula-herb nodum McVean & Ratcliffe 1962 p.p.; Vaccinium-ncb birchwood association McVean 1964a p.p.; Herb-rich birch and oakwood association McVean 1964a p.p.; Blechno-Quercetum (Br.-Bl. & Tx. (1950) 1952) Klötzli 1970 p.p.; Oxalido-Betuletum Graham 1971 p.p.; Loch Lomond oakwoods Tittensor & Steele 1971 p.p.; Betula pubescens-Vaccinium myrtillus Association Birks 1973/?./?.; Corylus avellana-0xalis acetosella Association Birks 1973 p.p.; Hazel-ash woodland Peterken 1981 p.p.; Oak-lime woodland Peterken 1981 p.p.; Birch-oak woodland Peterken 1981 p.p.; Birch woodland Peterken 1981 p.p.; Woodland plot types 21, 22, 23, 26 & 29 Bunce 1982; Trientali-Betuletum pendulae Birse 1982 p.p.; Luzulo-Betuletum odoratae Birse 1984 p.p.; Blechno-Quercetum (Br.-Bl. & Tx. (1950) 1952) Birse 1984p.p.; Lonicero-Quercetum (Birse & Robertson 1976) Birse 1984 p.p.

Constant species

Betula pendula!pubescens, Agrostis capillaris, Anthoxanthum odoratum, Deschampsia flexuosa, Galium saxatile, Holcus mollis, Oxalis acetosella, Potentilla erecta, Pteridium aquilinum, Viola riviniana, Hylocomium splendens, Pseudoscler opodium purum, Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus, Thuidium tamariscinum.

Physiognomy

The Quercus petraea-Betula pubescens-0xalis acetosella woodland is almost invariably dominated by either oak or birch or various mixtures of the two. Of the oaks, Quercus petraea is very much the more frequent and characteristic species and it can be an abundant component of this community in south-west England, Wales, the Lake District and into southern and central Scotland. Sometimes, it forms a high forest canopy of tall, well-grown trees; in other stands, it dominates in oak coppice with a fairly low cover of thin or multi-stemmed and often crookedly-growing individuals.

Moving north-westwards, Q. petraea becomes rarer and increasingly confined to lower altitudes: in the southern and east-central Highlands, it can dominate in this community up to about 275 m, but in the far west, its general limit is around 150 m (McVean 1964a). However, there is every indication that oak has been extensively removed from woodlands towards the northwestern limit of this community, so its absence there is probably partly artificial (McVean & Ratcliffe 1962, McVean 1964a).