Most of the site contains free draining soils which support a species-poor dry heath acidic grassland which has been extensively invaded by bracken. The main flora present on the site are heather, wavy hair grass, bilberry, mat grass, cowberry and other grasses. Similar flora is found in the English Midlands, however what makes Gentleshaw Common unique is a combination of low altitude and a sunny southern aspect which enables a floristic overlap with heaths typical of the warmer western lowlands of Britain. This floristic overlap is demonstrated by the abundance of bell heather and western gorse.