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Trees Of Britain And Ireland





ISSUES OF DEBATE


Definition of Species

There are a number of different opinions regarding the validity of some Species , notably Apomictic Microspecies and whether some 'species' may actually be Hybrid s. In particular, the number and definition of species in the genera ''Sorbus'' ( Rowan s, Whitebeam s etc.), ''Ulmus'' ( Elm s) and ''Salix'' ( Willow s) are open to debate.


Definition of Native

Native species are considered to be species which are today present in the region in question, and have been continuously present in that region since a certain period of time. When applied to the British Isles , three possible definitions of this time constraint are:
  • a species that colonised these islands during the retreat of ice at the end of the last Ice Age

  • a species that was present in these islands when the English Channel was created and the Land Bridge between Britain and continental Europe was flooded

  • a species that has colonised without Human assistance; in some cases this is uncertain.


The only Endemic tree species in Britain and Ireland (that is, that are native ''only'' to this region) are some apomictic whitebeams.

Species that were native in the region in Prehistory before the last ice age, but not subsequently, are generally regarded as extinct and no longer native.

Many additional species have been imported by humans; the total list of all introduced trees numbers several thousand. A far smaller number of these have become widely Naturalised , spreading by their own accord without recourse to further human assistance.


Definition of Tree

A Tree can be defined as a large, perennial, woody plant with secondary branches supported by a primary stem (compare with Shrub ). There is no set definition regarding minimum size, though most authors cite a tree species as being one which regularly reaches 6 m (20 ft) tall (see also Tree ).


LIST OF SPECIES


Native trees





  • Box

  • --- Box (''Buxus sempervirens''; southern England only)



  • Elm s

  • --- Wych Elm (''Ulmus glabra'')

  • --- English Elm (''Ulmus procera''; southern Great Britain only; doubtfully native)

  • --- Smooth-leaved Elm (''Ulmus minor'', syn. ''U. carpinifolia''; southern Great Britain only)

















Native large shrubs

These larger Shrub s occasionally reach tree size:


Naturalised trees