Olav's Wood: Plants

Printable summary

Home

Galleries of photographs

Wildlife

History

Maps

Location

Contact

Links

Printable summary

Devil's-bit Scabious (Succisa pratensis)
in short heathy grassland.

Wood Horsetail (Equisetum sylvaticum)
in a woodland clearing by the burn.

Catsear (Hypochaeris radicata) seedhead.

The plantlife of Olav's Wood

Here is a plant-list for Olav's Wood. Many thanks to John Crossley who has provided most of identification expertise. Only "wild plants" are included here (not necessarily native). Planted trees and shrubs are in another list. Survey: August 2011. (?) indicates identification needs confirmation. Included here are flowering plants and ferns. Bryophytes (mosses and liverworts) and fungi are on other pages.

Pictures: Pictures of the plantlife of the woodland and surrounding area may be found in the Plant Gallery. There is also a gallery of pictures of plants alongside the roadway to Olav's Wood.

Flowering plants

Angelica sylvestris - Wild angelica
Damp areas and pathsides
Anthriscus sylvestris - Cow Parsley
Bellis perennis - Daisy
Callitriche sp. - Water Starwort
In a shallow pool in the burn
Calluna vulgaris - Heather
Heathland
Caltha palustris - Marsh Marigold
Burnside
Cardamine flexuosa - Wavy Bittercress
Burnside
Cardamine pratensis - Cuckooflower
Cirsium arvense - Creeping Thistle
Cirsium palustre - Marsh Thistle
Empetrum nigrum ssp. nigrum - Crowberry
Heathland
Epilobium montanum - Broad-leafed Willowherb
Erica cinerea - Bell Heather
Heathland
Euphrasia arctica - One of the commoner Eyebrights in Orkney
Filipendula ulmaria - Meadowsweet
Rough damp areas and burnside
Galium aparine - Cleavers/Goosegrass
Hedges and rough grassland
Galium saxatile - Heath Bedstraw
Heathland
Geum rivale - Water Avens
Burnside
Hypericum pulchrum - Slender St. John's Wort
Heathland/Short grassland
Hypochaeris radicata - Catsear
Short grassland
Iris pseudacorus - Yellow Flag-iris
In damp areas and burnside.
Very common in Orkney, where it is called `Seggs'
Lathyrus pratensis - Meadow Vetchling
Meadowland and hedgebanks.
Making an attractive show on the waysides in Orkney in August 2011.
Lotus corniculatus - Birdsfoot Trefoil
Heathland/Short grassland
Pilosella aurantiaca - Fox-and-cubs
Platago lanceolata - Ribwort Plantain
Potentilla anserina - Silverweed
Pathsides and short grassy areas
Potentilla erecta - Tormentil
Heathland
Primula vulgaris - Primrose
Prunella vulgaris - Common Selfheal
Ranunculus acris - Meadow Buttercup
Ranunculus ficaria - Lesser Celandine
Ranunculus repens - Creeping Buttercup
Rhinanthus minor - Hay Rattle
Short grassland
Rosa caesia ssp. glauca (?) - A wild rose
Rumex acetosa - Common Sorrel
Common in open areas on the site
Rumex crispus ssp. crispus - Curled Dock
Rumex obtusifolius - Broad-leaved Dock
Senecio x ostenfeldii (= S. jacobaea x aquaticus) (?) - Hybrid ragwort.
In grassland. A hybrid that is widely recorded in Orkney.
Silene flos-cuculi - Ragged Robin
Succisa pratensis - Devil's-bit Scabious
Open grassland and hedgebanks.
Making an attractive show on the waysides in Orkney in August 2011.
Trifolium pratense - Red Clover
Grassland and pathsides
Urtica dioica - Nettle
Vaccinium myrtillus - Bilberry/Blaeberry
Heathland/Acid woodland
Valeriana officinalis - Valerian
Outside Olav's Wood, S.E. of the woodland.
Possibly the only site in S. Ronaldsay.
Vicia cracca - Tufted Vetch
Meadowland and hedgebanks
Vicia sepium - Bush Vetch
Meadowland and hedgebanks

Grasses

Agrostis capillaris - Common Bent
Agrostis stolonifera - Creeping Bent
Agrostis vinealis - Brown Bent
Anthoxanthum odoratum - Sweet Vernal Grass
Arrhenatherum elatius - False Oat-grass
Cynosurus cristatus - Crested Dog's-tail
Dactylis glomerata - Cocksfoot
Danthonia decumbens - Heath grass
Deschampsia cespitosa - Tufted Hair-grass
Deschampsia flexuosa - Wavy Hair-grass
Elytrigia repens - Couch Grass
Festuca filiformis - Fine-leaved Sheep's Fescue
Festuca vivipara - Viviparous Fescue
Festuca rubra - Red Fescue
Holcus lanatus - Yorkshire Fog
Lolium perenne - Ryegrass
Nardus stricta - Mat grass
Poa humilis (= Poa pratensis var humilis) - Spreading Meadow-grass
Poa trivialis - Rough Meadow-grass

Rushes and Sedges

Carex flacca - Glaucus Sedge
In short grassy heathland
Carex panicea - Carnation Sedge
In short grassy heathland
Carex pulicaris - Flea Sedge
In short grassy heathland
Carex pilulifera - Pill Sedge
In short grassy heathland
Juncus articulatus - Jointed Rush
In open damp grassland
Juncus bufonius - Toad Rush
In short grassy heathland
Juncus conglomeratus - Compact Rush
In rough, damp grassland
Juncus effusus - Soft Rush
In rough, damp grassland
Luzula multiflora - Heath Wood-rush
In short grassy heathland
Luzula sylvatica - Great Wood-rush
In woodland clearings

Ferns

Athyrium filix-femina - Lady Fern
Blechnum spicant - Hard Fern
On the steeper banks of the burn
Dryopteris filix-mas - Male Fern
Dryopteris dilatata - Broad Buckler Fern
Equisetum palustre - Marsh Horsetail
In rough, damp grassland
Equisetum sylvaticum - Wood Horsetail
On grassy banks and in burnside clearings.
An attractive horsetail, like a minature conifer.

Mosses and Liverworts

Thanks to John Crossley and Rosemary McCance for a preliminary list of bryophytes (mosses and liverworts) in the wood.


Trees and shrubs

Plants

Birds and animals

Butterflies and moths

Invertebrates

Bryophytes

Fauna of the burn

Other wildlife