Postlebury Wood is an 87 hectare

Hectare

The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...

 biological Site of Special Scientific Interest south of Trudoxhill

Trudoxhill

Trudoxhill is a village and civil parish near Nunney in the Mendip district of Somerset, England.-History:The name Trudoxhill comes from the Old English treow meaning tree, dox for dark and hyll for hill....

 in Somerset

Somerset

The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...

, notified in 1987.

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.

The wood is largely composed of Oak

Oak

An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...

 (Quercus robur), Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) and Hazel

Hazel

The hazels are 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.They have simple, rounded leaves with double-serrate margins...

 (Corylus avellana). The ground flora is well developed, ranging from communities of Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta), Bracken

Bracken

Bracken are several species of large, coarse ferns of the genus Pteridium. Ferns are vascular plants that have alternating generations, large plants that produce spores and small plants that produce sex cells . Brackens are in the family Dennstaedtiaceae, which are noted for their large, highly...

 (Pteridium aquilinum), Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) and Wood Sorrel (Oxalis acetosella). Plants of particular interest include Solomon's Seal

Polygonatum

Polygonatum , King Solomon's-seal or Solomon's Seal, is a genus of about 50 species of flowering plants. In the APG III classification system, it is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Nolinoideae...

 (Polygonatum multiflorum), Greater Butterfly Orchid (Platanthera chlorantha), Bird's Nest Orchid (Neottia nidus-avis), Broad-leaved Helleborine (Epipactis helleborine) and Autumn Crocus

Colchicum autumnale

Colchicum autumnale, commonly known as autumn crocus, meadow saffron or naked lady, is a flower which resembles the true crocuses, but flowering in autumn...

 (Colchicum autumnale).

Postlebury Wood supports large populations of homostyle Primroses

Primula vulgaris

Primula vulgaris is a species of Primula native to western and southern Europe , northwest Africa , and southwest Asia...

, 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.

External links

• English Nature website (SSSI information)