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You are not welcome to visit Wake-hurst’s Site of Special ScientificInterest. Furthermore, should youencounter my gamekeeper he has

my instruction to shoot.’ The year was 1953and a young graduate scientist was askingpermission to conduct ecological research onthe sandstone outcrops at Wakehurst. Luck-ily, the letter arrived at her London flat theday after she’d completed the field work and,more importantly, this ecological ‘poacher’wasn’t confronted by the gamekeeper.

That September, Jean Paton was awardeda Master’s degree for her thesis An ecologicalstudy of the sandrocks of the Weald of Kent and Sussex, with special reference to bryophytes and environmental factors.This remains an important reference worktoday, and the young scientist has become a world-renowned specialist on liver-worts, which together with mosses areknown as bryophytes.

Six years earlier, a truly extraordinaryBritish botanist, Francis Rose, had cycledaround Kent and Sussex recording theferns, lichens, mosses and liverworts(known collectively as cryptogams) thatabound on the sandstone outcrops. Hedescribed the Wakehurst and ChiddinglyWoods as the best example of ancientwoodland with sandstone rocks in the UK.

It was his scientific work, enthusiasm and drive that led to the designation ofWakehurst as a Site of Special ScientificInterest (SSSI) in 1950. He also inspiredJean to undertake her research.

In Francis’s own words: ‘This beautiful,wooded valley is of national importance for its plant life, above all the mosses, liverworts, hornworts, lichens and ferns.This is due to the special features of its topography and ecology, and to the shelterfrom drying winds in this deep humid valley, which has enabled many plants tosurvive here as relics of the ancient flora of the High Weald of prehistory, that havedisappeared in most of the highly modifiedwoodlands of the Weald.’

Many of the cryptogams that thrive herein the mild, dappled woodland conditionsare more characteristic of the oceanic

climate of western and northern Britainthan of the south east, and one of the mostnotable of the species found here by Francis was the rare Tunbridge filmy fern(Hymenophyllum tunbrigense), which clingsto the underside of rocks. It is still flourish-ing in the same location.

Some of the mosses and liverworts thatFrancis described were only known insmall local populations, including Scapaniagracilis, Harpanthus scutatus, Blepharostomatrichophyllum and Orthodontium gracile.

Swan’s-neck thyme-moss (Mnium hornum)produces its sporecapsules in spring

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‘

Little things mean a lot

In Wakehurst’s Francis Rose Reserve you’ll find some of our more understated native plants – Andrew Jackson sheds light on the fascinating inhabitants of this rare and valuable habitat

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Sadly, the latter, also known as slenderthread moss, is no longer found at Wake-hurst. However, using Kew’s scientific skillsin micropropagation we have attempted to propagate it from a nearby location and reintroduce it to the rocks. This is scientifi-cally and technically challenging and is bestdescribed as work in progress.

Sandstone rock outcrops in sheltered,humid sites with a community of crypto-gams are very rare in the lowlands of western and central Europe, but through-out the High Weald they occur in fairlyextensive areas and the Sussex sandrockshave a rich flora. In a scientific conferenceat Wakehurst, Francis raised the questionof just why these woods were so crucial forthese species. He concluded that ‘it ispartly the humid microclimate of thesedeep valleys, where strong, drying sun-light does not normally reach, but probably more important is the spongy, porous,

water-holding nature of the acid sandstoneitself.’ The relatively high rainfall andextensive woodland canopy are also crucialelements of this habitat.

The mosses, liverworts, lichens andferns that grow at Wakehurst are a dynamiccommunity, but are easily damaged – eitherby accident or even by neglect of the habi-tat. Francis identified that key threats tothese species included the massive invasionof rhododendrons from Victorian plantings.These cast dense shade over the rocks, mak-ing them unsuitable for most cryptogams.

He was also concerned about the lack ofgrazing and other management, which wasleading to a proliferation of beech, yew andholly that also heavily shaded the habitat.The ideal cover is a more open oak, rowanand birch woodland, which Francis identi-fied as once dominant in the Weald. Airpollution was also a significant threat untilthe mid-1970s, while the effects of damageto the woodlands by storms such as the GreatStorm of 1987 is still not fully understood.

The notification of SSSIs wasn’t alwayspopular with landowners, and this may havebeen one reason why Jean Paton wasn’twelcomed. Today, however, landowners are

often supported with grants to help bringsuch sites to favourable conservation statusor to keep them in good condition. Part ofthe Wakehurst SSSI is in recovery and Nat-ural England is providing EnvironmentalStewardship grants for the removal ofRhododendron ponticum, so that our SSSIcan attain favourable conservation status(see Kew magazine, winter 2009). Over thenext ten years, we hope to almost eradicatethis species from Wakehurst, but to be suc-cessful in the long term we will require thesurrounding landowners to do the same toprevent it from reinvading.

This SSSI is special for a very particularreason though – part of it is named after theperson who saw its value all those years ago.Francis Rose visited Wakehurst many timesover a period of 55 years and I was thrilledwhen Kew’s Board of Trustees recognisedhis contribution to nature conservation by creating the Francis Rose Reserve atWakehurst in 2003. In 2000, Francis wasawarded the MBE for his lifetime contribu-tion to nature conservation.

The reserve is a fitting tribute, as it con-tains many interesting and rare species, andbrings cryptogams to the attention of the

The Tunbridge filmyfern (Hymenophyllumtunbrigense) is one of thereserve’s rarest species

The habitat of humid,sheltered woodland andsandstone rocks is idealfor many cryptogams

Its close resemblance to thefeathery foliage of tamariskgave the moss Thuidiumtamariscinum its name

Overleaf pellia (Pellia epiphylla)can be found on wet sandstone outcrops

Lichens, includingCladonia, comprise an algae and a fungusgrowing together

Above right: AndrewJackson is fascinatedby the reserve’s manyand varied cryptogams

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public. For me, Francis’s greatest contribu-tion was to inspire others. He would maketime to bring a sense of joy to a child whenthey discovered a new plant, as well as helpfirst-time field botanists feel at ease. He alsohad a strong belief that it was never too lateto learn. He decided to learn about lichens inhis 40s and 50s and became a leading author-ity on lichens and their response to acid rain.

At the official opening of his reserve atWakehurst, and four years later when wecelebrated his life, I found myself sur-rounded by the most famous names inplant science, including David Bellamy, whohad been one of Francis’s doctoral students,and Clive Stace, author of the authoritativetext New Flora of the British Isles. Eachspeaker had wonderful stories to tell of himin the field, including not wanting to stop at the end of a day and identifying mossesby match-light while smoking his pipeupside-down in the rain.

I, too, was inspired by Francis. Firstly tosee, then to recognise, then love and finallyconserve the small green plants and multi-coloured lichens that cling to the sandstone

rocks. Some 20 years after first meeting him, I found myself editing a book on the sand-stone landscapes of Europe. Such is thepower of inspiration – it can make you dothings that you never imagined and takeprofound joy in sharing what you see andvalue with others.

Next time you come to Wakehurst, dovisit the Francis Rose Reserve hide, near theWetland Conservation Area, or the view-point that overlooks the LoderValley NatureReserve, and see if you can spot these specialsmall plants and lichens – in the words ofFrancis, ‘open your eyes, they are all aroundyou.’ These are also good places to pause tothink what direct action you can take forconservation and to inspire others. n

Andrew Jackson is head of Wakehurst Place

The Francis Rose Reserve covers the part of Wakehurst’s SSSI that is rich in lower plants. The majority of this 25-hectare reserve lies within the public part of the Wakehurst Estate – see map opposite for location. For furtherinformation, go to www.kew.org

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Left: the Francis RoseReserve (shown in palegreen) covers 25 hectaresof the Wakehurst Estate

Above: Francis Rosepioneered the study of mosses, liverworts,lichens and filmy ferns

Cryptogams soontake up residence onfallen trees that are leftto rot down naturally

Large white-moss(Leucobryum glaucum)forms furry cushions on tree trunks

Dense, glossy carpets of waved silk-moss(Plagiothecium undulatum)are relatively easy to spot

What is a cryptogam?A cryptogam is an organism that

reproduces using spores rather

than seeds. These include algae,

fungi, lichens, mosses, liverworts

and hornworts, ferns and

horsetails. Together they make

up an enormous proportion of the

world’s botanical diversity. The

strange-sounding name comes

from the Greek words kryptos,

meaning hidden, and gameein,

meaning to marry, referring to

their mode of reproduction.

Below: western earwort (Scapania gracilis)thrives on Wakehurst’s rocks and tree bases

KEW Autumn 2010 l 39

Francis RoseReserve

Mansion

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