RFI on non-native tree sites

[davidbr]

I wonder if anyone could help me out with a bit of site information. As can be seen on http://

this map for Japanese Maple, Acer japonicum, there's a site listed by BSBI along the Severn Estuary near Bristol, which seems to be shared with a fair few other unusual/rare alien tree species.

Does anyone have any idea where this is? A wood, disused estate or old park, perhaps? As I believe I've mentioned on here before, I've been keeping myself busy lately compiling a "photo list" of all the plant species I've found growing wild in the UK; the season's as good as over for flowering plants, but if I could add all the trees that (according to BSBI) are meant to be found at this mystery location, it'd keep things tiding over until spring

Any help would be greatly appreciated

[Dan Salter]

Originally Posted by davidbr

I wonder if anyone could help me out with a bit of site information. As can be seen on http://

this map for Japanese Maple, Acer japonicum, there's a site listed by BSBI along the Severn Estuary near Bristol, which seems to be shared with a fair few other unusual/rare alien tree species.

Does anyone have any idea where this is? A wood, disused estate or old park, perhaps? As I believe I've mentioned on here before, I've been keeping myself busy lately compiling a "photo list" of all the plant species I've found growing wild in the UK; the season's as good as over for flowering plants, but if I could add all the trees that (according to BSBI) are meant to be found at this mystery location, it'd keep things tiding over until spring

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Blimey thats a big task! all the plant species?.....or do you mean all the non native/introduced/garden escapee plant species (my worst enemy)...

[Darley]

Possibly Westonbirt Arboretum?

[davidbr]

Originally Posted by Dan Salter

Blimey thats a big task! all the plant species?.....or do you mean all the non native/introduced/garden escapee plant species (my worst enemy)...

Yes, all of them - anything that I come across growing in a wild situation, so natives, established introductions, garden escapes & casuals alike. So far I've got 785 (plus 9/10 still needing identification) but I've only been doing it since June and, because I've not been that mobile and based in urban Bristol, about 40% are non-natives. It's really surprised me just how many unusual & unexpected species you can find growing in urban wastelands

By this time next year I've set myself a target of 2,000 species; I should be able to travel far more widely (a trip to the Scillies in June seems to be a must, and probably Warley Place in Essex sometime in Feb/March) and visit more habitats for native plants.

[davidbr]

Originally Posted by Darley

Possibly Westonbirt Arboretum?

The map is supposed to show only plants growing in the wild, as reported to county recorders. I've only ever been to Westonbirt once, but though they've got an impressive range of thousands of tree species I wouldn't say any would count as naturalised?

The site I'm looking for must be somewhere in the same area, though...

[Darley]

Originally Posted by davidbr

The map is supposed to show only plants growing in the wild, as reported to county recorders. I've only ever been to Westonbirt once, but though they've got an impressive range of thousands of tree species I wouldn't say any would count as naturalised?

The site I'm looking for must be somewhere in the same area, though...

Well strictly speaking there are hardly any totally 'wild' trees or plants growing in the UK! There may be a few isolated pockets of 'natural' woodland and wetland, but otherwise the whole country has experienced some degree of human intervention.

[Devonmaid]

If you take the sots marked on your map literally, the purple spot falls on or near minehead where you have the Brendon Hills and Quantock hills narby and, interestingly enough, the Quantock Forest. The blue spot appears to fall on or near Bristol but that's quite a leap from Westonbirt. Might it be a wooded area on the Mendips? Good luck with the 'collection' - I'm trying to do something similar with local wild flowers!

[Cotham Marble]

If you use the bsbi tetrad map as the basis for the search you will find there are three 2km boxes for Acer japonicum located in north and east Bristol - the following URL may work, though I think you may have to use your browser to initiate the search: http://www.bsbimaps.org.uk/tetrads/g...um&countback=3

My guess is that these three boxes relate to old 'grand estates' - the most northly being Blaise Castle, and the easterly ones are perhaps Stoke Park and/or Oldbury Park, but the boxes are too big to give a certain location.

- edit - I've checked whether the above URL works, it should take you to the Acer japonicum map - to get a better view select Big Map on the radio buttons and then zoom in.

CM

[Jason Green]

Try a Latin name search on searchNBN.net, http://www.searchnbn.net/gridMap/gri...NSYS0000042050

I've seen one is in Exmoor, between Lynton and Minehead near the Channel and there are several others in Bristol, around Leigh Woods and Clifton.

I hope I understood the question