Cleeve Wood, Hanham

Cleeve Wood
Site of Special Scientific Interest
Flowering Bath asparagus
Area of Search	Avon
Grid reference	ST655703
Interest	Biological
Area	8.9 hectare
Notification	1966
Location map	English Nature

Cleeve Wood, Hanham is a (grid reference ST655703) is an 8.9 hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in South Gloucestershire, notified in 1966.^[1]

Cleeve Wood is situated on the steep south facing slopes of the River Avon valley near to the City of Bristol.

The primary scientific interest of the wood is the particularly large population of Bath Asparagus (Ornithogalum pyrenaicum) which it supports. The Bath Asparagus in Cleeve Wood represents what is considered to be the largest and most stable population of this plant in this its centre of distribution.^[1]

The wood is derived from the calcareous Ash-Wych Elm (southern variant) type but has been much planted with non-native species mainly Beech (Fagus sylvatica) and Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) but with some Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) and Cypress trees Cupressus. In the more natural areas of the wood Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) is dominant with occasional Pedunculate Oak (Quercus robur) standards. In such places the shrub layer is dominated by Field Maple (Acer campestre), Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), Elder (Sambucus nigra), Hazel (Corylus avellana) and young Wych Elm (Ulmus glabra).^[1]

The field layer in many areas is dominated by Ivy (Hedera helix), especially on the disturbed slopes. Other common ground flora includes Dog's Mercury (Mercurialis perennis), Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta), Stinking Iris (Iris foetidissima), Traveller's Joy (Clematis vitalba) and Slender False Brome (Brachypodium sylvaticum).^[1]

References

1 2 3 4 "SSSI citation sheet for Cleeve Wood, Hanham" (PDF). English Nature. Retrieved 7 December 2009.

Biological Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Avon

Ashton Court Avon Gorge Banwell Caves Biddle Street, Yatton Bishop's Hill Wood Blagdon Lake Bodkin Hazel Wood Brockley Hall Stables Brown's Folly Burledge Sidelands and Meadows Burrington Combe Chew Valley Lake Cleaves Wood Cleeve Wood, Hanham Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines Compton Martin Ochre Mine Congrove Field and The Tumps Dolebury Warren Ellenborough Park West Folly Farm Goblin Combe Gordano Valley Harptree Combe Hawkesbury Meadow Hinton Charterhouse Field Horseshoe Bend, Shirehampton Iford Manor King's Wood and Urchin Wood Long Dole Wood and Meadows Lower Woods Max Bog Middle Hope Midger Monkswood Valley Plaster's Green Meadows Purn Hill Puxton Moor Severn Estuary Shiplate Slait St. Catherine's Valley Steep Holm Tickenham, Nailsea and Kenn Moors Uphill Cliff Upton Coombe Walton Common Weston Big Wood Yanal Bog

Neighbouring areas Gloucestershire Somerset Wiltshire

Coordinates: 51°25′50″N 2°29′52″W / 51.43064°N 2.49765°W / 51.43064; -2.49765

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