Epping Forest Act, have now grown massive crowns of thick, trunk-like branches with correspondingly large boles. This gives the trees an unusual appearance, not known in other forests. Often the weight of the branches cannot be supported by the parent tree, and the large amount of dead wood in the forest supports numerous rare species of fungi and invertebrates. Predominant tree species are Pedunculate oak ("Quercus robur"), European beech ("Fagus sylvatica"), European hornbeam ("Carpinus betuloides"), silver birch ("Betula pendula") and European holly ("Ilex aquifolium"). Indicator species of long-uninterrupted woodland include service-tree ("Sorbus torminalis") butcher's-broom ("Ruscus aculeatus") and drooping sedge ("Carex pendula") A
Nyssa sylvatica a large deep taproot when young that makes transplanting difficult. Because of this, it is fairly uncommon in cultivation and the nursery trade. Additional characteristics include: "Nyssa sylvatica" grows in various uplands and in alluvial stream bottoms from southwestern Maine and New York, to extreme southern Ontario, central Michigan, Illinois, and central Missouri, south to southern Florida, eastern Texas, and eastern Oklahoma. It also occurs locally in central and southern Mexico. Optimum development is made on lower slopes and terraces in the Southeastern United States. "Nyssa sylvatica" is found in a variety of upland and wetland habitats in its extensive