Bransbury Common

L.4s. BRANSBURY COMMON, HAMPSIIIRE

SU 4I42. I60 ha

Neutral grassland group 3 (7)2

Grade I

This area includes some disused water meadows to the north and south of the common proper. In the following description the term ' common ' is used for an area now only partly flooded for short periods, and 'meadow' refers to the now disused water meadows.

Common

The major soil formation is of peat over gravel and the dominant plant association over the majority of the area is Molinia caerulea-Carex paniculata. This sward is moderately grazed by cattle and is open, allowing local dominance of C. nigra and Anthoxanthum odoratum, with Cirsium dissectum, Potentilla erecta and Succisa pratensis. In areas with a more silty soil a rich grass-sedge community is present with Holcus lanatus, Festuca rubra, A. odoratum, Sieglingia decumbens, Carex acca, C. panicea, C. echinata and C. pulicaris. Other species of interest on the common include Genista anglica, Menyanthes trifoliata and Isolepis setacea.

Meadows

These are especially good examples of ecologically interesting disused (pre-Ig3o) water meadows which have been well grazed and not allowed to deteriorate through undergrazing, or 'improved' by heavy nitrogen fertiliser applications and/or spraying with herbicides. The meadows are on a heavier soil than the common and are characteristically dominated by Lolium perenne, Festuca pratensis, F. rubra, Holcus lanatus and Poa trivialis with the hybrid Festulolium frequent. Menyanthes trifoliata, Iris pseudacorus, Cardamine pratensis, Dactylorchis incarnata and Caltha palustris are also present.

Combining the meadows and the common gives a wide variation of grassland and grass-sedge communities. On one visit 97 species were noted, including I7 grass species and I2 sedges.