| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
 | |
  Location within Somerset | |
| Area of Search | Somerset |
|---|---|
| Grid reference | ST740430 |
| Coordinates | 51°11′08″N2°22′24″W / 51.18563°N 2.37339°W Coordinates: 51°11′08″N2°22′24″W / 51.18563°N 2.37339°W |
| Interest | Biological |
| Area | 87 hectares (0.87 km2; 0.34 sq mi) |
| Notification | 1987 |
| Natural England website | |
Postlebury Wood (grid reference ST740430 ) is an 87 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest south of Trudoxhill in Somerset, notified in 1987.
The Ordnance Survey National Grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references used in Great Britain, distinct from latitude and longitude. It is often called British National Grid (BNG).
The hectare is an SI accepted metric system unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides, or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is about 0.405 hectare and one hectare contains about 2.47 acres.
Trudoxhill is a village and civil parish near Nunney in the Mendip district of Somerset, England.
Postlebury Wood is a large and relatively undisturbed woodland with the first records of the woodland being from documents dated 1182, shortly after which it was incorporated in the Royal Forest of Selwood, and has been coppiced and has been used for charcoal production in the past. [1]
The wood is largely composed of Oak (Quercus robur), Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) and Hazel (Corylus avellana). The ground flora is well developed, ranging from communities of Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta), Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum), Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) and Wood Sorrel (Oxalis acetosella). Plants of particular interest include Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum multiflorum), Greater Butterfly Orchid (Platanthera chlorantha), Bird's Nest Orchid (Neottia nidus-avis), Broad-leaved Helleborine (Epipactis helleborine) and Autumn Crocus (Colchicum autumnale). [1]
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 600 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus, as well as in those of unrelated species such as Grevillea robusta and the Casuarinaceae (she-oaks). The genus Quercus is native to the Northern Hemisphere, and includes deciduous and evergreen species extending from cool temperate to tropical latitudes in the Americas, Asia, Europe, and North Africa. North America contains the largest number of oak species, with approximately 90 occurring in the United States, while Mexico has 160 species of which 109 are endemic. The second greatest center of oak diversity is China, which contains approximately 100 species.
The hazel (Corylus) is a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels into a separate family Corylaceae. The fruit of the hazel is the hazelnut.
Bracken (Pteridium) is a genus of large, coarse ferns in the family Dennstaedtiaceae. Ferns (Pteridophyta) are vascular plants that have alternating generations, large plants that produce spores and small plants that produce sex cells. Brackens are noted for their large, highly divided leaves. They are found on all continents except Antarctica and in all environments except deserts, though their typical habitat is moorland. The genus probably has the widest distribution of any fern in the world.
Postlebury Wood supports large populations of homostyle Primroses, a plant found in only one area outside south-east Somerset. These plants, which are unique in that they represent a self-fertile form of a normally self-sterile species, are of international significance in providing opportunities for genetic studies. [1]
Primula vulgaris, the common primrose, is a species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae, native to western and southern Europe, northwest Africa, and parts of southwest Asia. The common name is primrose, or occasionally common primrose or English primrose to distinguish it from other Primula species also called primroses.
