Eriophorum vaginatum
The soils covering the hill and surrounding area are acidic and generally low in nutrients. These soils support a selection of habitats from wet and dry heathland, to deciduous and coniferous woodland and scrubland. Dry heath occurs mainly on the top of the hill, well above the water table, where there is good drainage. It is composed mainly of heather and dwarf shrubs but there are bare sandy areas where the rare Mossy Stonecrop (Crassula tillaea) is able to flourish. All six native species of reptile breed here including the endangered sand lizard ("Lacerta agilis") and smooth snake ("Coronella austriaca"). The smooth snake is also found in the areas of wet heath which occur mainly at the foot of the hill and are created by seepage and flushes from below the hill's water table; and where free draining gravelly soils meet less permeable clay. Rare flora found in these areas include bog asphodel ("Narthecium ossifragum"), hare's-tail cotton-grass ("Eriophorum vaginatum"), bog moss ("Sphagnum"), the carnivorous sundews "Drosera intermedia" and "Drosera rotundifolia", and pale butterwort ("Pinguicula lusitanica").