Factsheet for Eigg IPA

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Site Code

Country: United Kingdom

Central coordinates: 56.89988462o [56o 53' 59" North], -6.15548125o [6o 9' 19" West]

Administrative region: Scotland West Highland (North Ebudes)

Area: 60 ha

Altitude: 4 - 252

Site Description
From SSSI Citation:

The Isle of Eigg is in the inner Hebrides, lying 10 miles off the Scottish west coast, south of the Isle of Skye. Eigg is exceptionally diverse for a small island, with coast, unimproved farmland, willow and hazel scrub, native woodland, raised bog and moorland. The centre of the island is a moorland plateau, rising to 393 m at An Sgurr, a dramatic pitchstone ridge, sheer on three sides.

Botanical Significance
Noted for lichens and vascular plants interest.
(From SSSI management statement).

At the foot of the cliffs of Beinn Buidhe, the steeper slopes are covered with hazel scrub, a scarce woodland type in Lochaber. Intermixed with the hazel are occasional wych elm, rowan and aspen and thickets of blackthorn. The wood shows few signs of disturbance and has a ground flora comprising a wide range of woodland species of which ramsons Allium ursinum and enchanter’s-nightshade Circaea lutetiana are particularly abundant. The diversity of lichen species found growing on the trees forms a nationally important assemblage which includes white script lichen Graphis alboscripta and Pseudocyphellaria norvegica.

Small areas of hazel scrub, with occasional blackthorn and aspen, occur along the east coast. These areas have a rich ground flora containing many spring flowering herbs such as wild hyacinths Hyacinthoides non-scripta, ramsons Allium ursinum and primrose Primula vulgaris. These areas of scrub woodland represent remaining fragments for a woodland type once widespread in the west of Scotland. At Struidh the scrub supports an outstanding lichen assemblage which comprises western oceanic epiphytic species, including rare ones, and is indicative of antiquity and lack of disturbance.

Eigg, along with Rum and Skye, is an important site for Eyebright Euphrasia spp on basalt (ultra-basic) coastal turf, saltmarsh and montane habitats. Species include: Euphrasia heslop-harrisonii, E. scotica, E. ostenfeldii, x electa, E. frigida, northern limit of E. tetraquetra, E. nemorosa, E. arctica (complex between two) and E. foulaensis.

Management guidance notes

Notes
Eigg Hazelwoods (component site NM479883)