 Hainault Forest Website |
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Written and
Designed by © Brian Ecott |
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BE A NATURE
DETECTIVE |
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Identifying
Leaves from Trees |
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Simple Pinnate Leaves
Where stated, the length of
the leaf includes the stalk and is very approximate. |
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ENGLISH or PEDUNCULATE
OAK
Quercus robur
Common in hainault.
10cm. |
EVERGREEN
or HOLM OAK
Quercus ilex.
Leaf grey
on underside. Younger
leaves may
be "holly like".
10cm.
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TURKEY OAK
Quercus
cerris
Frequent in
the forest. 12cm. |
RED OAK
Quercus rubra
Near the
heathland |
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BEECH
Fagus sylvatica
Planted in Hainault in 1900's
10cm. |
COPPER BEECH
Fagus sylvatica
'Purpurea'
Near the car park.
10cm. |
CHERRY PLUM
Prunus
cerasifera
A species
of wild plum in the hedges.
8cm. |
BLACKTHORN
or SLOE
Prunus spinosa. Forms thickets and scrub in Hainault. Flowers
appear
before the leaf.
4.5cm. |
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BIRD CHERRY Prunus padus.
There are two tiny yellow
glands at the base of the leaf blade
12cm. |
WILD CHERRY
or GEAN Prunus avium.
There are two tiny red glands
at the base of the leaf blade.
14cm. |
HAZEL Corylus avellana
Few trees,
some saplings planted.
12cm. |
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WHITEBEAM Sorbus aria.
Underside of leaf covered in
white hair. Planted and naturalized. |
ROWAN x
WHITEBEAM HYBRID.
Sorbus x thuringiaca.
Underside of
leaf downy. Some free leaflets
at base of leaf. Planted.
21cm. |
SWEDISH
WHITEBEAM
Sorbus
intermedia
10cm. |
WILD
SERVICE TREE
Sorbus
torminalis
Uncommon.
An indicator tree of ancient woodland.
14cm. |
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BROAD-LEAVED WHITEBEAM
Sorbus latifolia agg. |
HORNBEAM
Carpinus betulus
A southern English species.
Many fine pollards in
Hainault.
8cm. |
ASPEN Populus
tremula
A common
coloniser in the forest.
11cm. |
WHITE
POPLAR
Populus
alba
A simple
palmate leaf. Underside remains downy. |
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GREY POPLAR
Populus
x canescens
Underside
of leaf downy at first.
Hybrid of
white poplar and aspen.
11cm. |
BERLIN
POPLAR
Populus x
berolinensis.
Several planted in Hainault. |
WESTERN
BALSAM POPLAR
Populus
trichocarpa
Leaf edges
sticky with 'balsam scented' secretion in the spring. |
BLACK
POPLAR
Populus
nigra betulifolia
Several old
trees near the lake.
Leaf stalk
flattened. 19cm. |
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ALMOND
LEAVED WILLOW
Salix
triandra
Found in
the plantation |
COMMON
SALLOW
Salix cinerea.
In the wetter parts of the
forest. |
GOAT or
PUSSY WILLOW
Salix
caprea. Leaf and stems hairy in the spring.
8cm. |
CRACK or
BRITTLE WILLOW
Salix
fragilis
14cm. |
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COMMON
ALDER
Alnus
glutinosa
Found on
the farmland. 11cm. |
GREY ALDER
Alnus incana
Planted
both ends of the lake
12cm. |
SINGLE-LEAVED ASH
Fraxinus
angustifolia 'Veltheimii'
In the
plantation. |
HOLLY
Ilex aquifolium
Common in
the forest. Not all leaves have prickles.
10cm. |
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SWEET or
SPANISH CHESTNUT
Castanea
sativa. In Hainault Lodge and rest of forest.
30cm. |
SPINDLE
Euonymus
europaeus
A small
shrub found in the woodland and Common area |
DOGWOOD
Cornus
sanguinea
Shrub found
in the woodland and woodland edges |
YEW
Taxus baccata
Young trees
and saplings. Possibly from seeds dropped in the forest. |
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HAWTHORN or
MAY
Crataegus monogyna
A common hedgerow or scrub
bush.
Freely
hybridizes with Midland.
8cm. |
MIDLAND HAWTHORN
Crataegus laevigata
Leaves more rounded than
May. Woodland sp. Flowers have 2-3 styles. |
BROAD-LEAVED COCKSPUR
THORN Crataegus prunifolia
In the plantation. Note
the long thorns about 3cm. |
CRAB APPLE
Malus
sylvestris.
A native of Oak woods |
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COMMON LIME Tilia x
europaea.
Heart shaped with unequal
sides. Tufts of whitish hairs in vein axils on underside of leaf.
15cm. |
SMALL LEAVED LIME Tilia
cordata Heart shaped, underside matt. Tufts of brown hairs between
vein angles. 9cm. |
SILVER
BIRCH Betula pendula
A short lived, rapid colonizer.
8cm. |
PURGING
BUCKTHORN
Rhamnus
cathartica
In scrub
near the Common. |
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Simple and Compound Palmate Leaves |
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FIELD MAPLE
Acer campestre
Common
throughout the forest.
12cm. |
SYCAMORE
Acer pseudoplatanus
Common
throughout the forest.
30-40cm |
NORWAY
MAPLE Acer platanoides
Planted in
the forest and naturalised.
29cm. |
SILVER MAPLE
Acer
saccharinum
Many in the
plantation and a few lining the Foxburrows Farm road. |
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LONDON PLANE
Platanus x hispanica
By visitors centre and
in plantation. |
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HORSE
CHESTNUT
Aesculus hippocastanum.
Planted and
naturalised in the forest. 5-7
leaflets.
50-80cm. |
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Compound Pinnate Leaves |
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ASH
Fraxinus excelsior.
3-6 pairs
of leaflets.
Occurs
mainly on the wetter boulder clay. |
ELDER
Sambucus nigra.
A tree,
bush or scrub. Native in the forest. 5-7 leaflets.
18cm. |
ROWAN or
MOUNTAIN ASH
Sorbus
aucuparia.
5-7 pairs
of leaflets. Planted and naturalised.
20cm. |
ROBINIA or FALSE ACACIA
Robinia pseudoacacia
In Hainault Lodge Nature
Reserve, and Heathland. |
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HYBRID
WING-NUT Pterocarya x rehderiana
Cut down in
the heathland area but now growing from stump. Length of leaf
40cm. |
TREE OF
HEAVEN Ailanthus altissimo
Length of
leaf 40cm. In the secondary woodland.
(Reported
up to 90cm with up to 41 leaflets) |
BOX ELDER
or ASH-LEAF MAPLE Acer negundo
3 or 5
leaflets. On Hog Hill and in Hainault Lodge.
14cm. |
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