Flora of Ashdown Forest - Botanical Society of the British Isles

109r*Crataegus persimilis. Broad-leaved cockspur-thorn.bout ten scattered trees planted in Raven Wood (431.311 I, 1995, TR. These trees are not regenerating at Raven Wood,ut are known to be bird-sown and established elsewhere in southern England. They differ from C. crus-gall! in havinglightly hairy veins on the undersides of the leaves.]Crataegus monogyna. Hawthorn, May, Cuckoo's bread-and-cheese tree, Agarve, Agasse, Hogarve, Hoghazel, Hog-go5se.Recorded in every square on the Forest, in woods, hedges, scrub and on roadsides; rapidlycolonising drier neglected grassland sites on the better soils, and only rarely a primary colonistof heaths, for example near Gills Lap 1466.317). Cultivars with pink, double flowers areplanted around Nutley.This species tends to set fruit when cross-pollinated and may be largely selfincompatible.The fruits turned red at the beginning of September 1995, and were stillpresent on the bushes in February 1996 but then disappeared rapidly in the cold weather.They are dispersed by resident and migratory birds and small mammals.Without doubt the commonest species planted in hedges in Sussex, often with Cory/usave//ana. The 'Isle of Thorns' is an enclosure made of thorns, and the hedge includes at least some hawthorn. The Sussexxpression 'gathering knots of may' has become corrupted by some to 'gathering nuts in May'.Ubiquitous in Sussex, lowland Britain and Europe east to Afghanistan.Crataegus laevigata x monogyna. Hybrid hawthorn.This hybrid is quite frequent around the Forest as scattered plants, and may occur in theabsence of either parent, but usually occurs near C. /aevigata. It tends to occur in open• woodland and in hedges, possibly where originally planted.Byatt (1975) analysed Crataegus populations in south-east England lincluding AshdownForest - the grid reference should be TQ/42.30; pers. comm. 1996) and found that mostpopulations contain hybrids and show varied degrees of introgressive hybridisation.It is widely recorded in lowland Britain.Crataegus laevigata. Midland hawthorn.Forest Row, H. F. Parsons (Wolley-Dod 1937). Seven tetrad records including some in themiddle of the Forest IHall 1980).Most typically a plant of woodland on heavy clay soils IByatt 1975) as shown clearly bythe map, and usually regarded as an ancient woodland plant. Where it is frequent this may betrue, but it has recolonised a number of secondary woodland sites on the edge of the Forest,as at Priory Road 1412.338-1 and Toll Lane 1461.2631, presumably bird-sown. The mostunusual site was one bush on the north verge of Ridge Road c. 50 metres east of theAshdown Park Hotel entrance 1429.324).Crataegus /aevigata and the hybrid tend to flower a couple of weeks before C. monogynaand can then be picked out for examination in more detail later.Widespread in the Weald, especially on the clays, and in lowland south-east Britain. It is endemic to Europe.FABACEAE*Robinia pseudacacia. False acacia.Two well-grown trees outside 'Dell Wood', Tompset's Bank 142.331, 1995, PW; Forest Row142.341, 1995, PO & DB; spreading out of gardens near Bank Cottage 143.331, 1995, TR;large tree outside Oldlands Farm 1477.268), 1995, TR.Often planted and occasionally naturalized (probably mostly spreading vegetatively).]--++-----'-+-Occasional in Sussex and increasingly recorded in England especially on sandy soils (Clement& Foster 1994). Native in North America.4 5