i had noticed the name of the thread-i gave all the info i had on the subject because i am not aware of the uk plants and was hoping some of the information might help(what a concept huh?)english its to bad were not all as smart as you-

Ye sure, ive got exmas all this week, but next weekend i should have it.  I have the same problm withbow woods, all the lists are for american woods, and ic ant find any here 
Rik

Hey man, I can give you some help.  I've got the book. 
  Here's a good list; contains African woods as well, and some miscellaneous woods, but you should be able to get a lot of them:
HAND DRILL WOODS
Alder, aspen, baobab, bamboo, blackboy, buddleia, burdock, cat-tail, common corkwood, cottonwood, confetti tree, elder, false sandpaper raisin, grewip, hibiscus, horse chestnut, knobbly compretum, large fever berry, marula, mangetti, mullein, pine, red flowered kurrajong, sage brush, saguaro rib, sotol, sycamore, sycamore fig, teasel, trumpet thorn, willow.
HEARTH WOODS
Alder, aspen, baobab, blackboy, cedar, clematis, common corkwood, confetti tree, cottonwood, elder, false sandpaper raisin, field maple, grewip, hibiscus, horse chestnut, knobbly compretum, large fever berry, marula, mangetti, norway maple, pine, red flowered kurrajong, saguaro rib, sotol, sycamore, sycamore fig, trumpet thorn, willow.
BOW DRILL WOODS (drill or hearth)
Alder, aspen, baobab, birch, cedar, cherry root, clematis, cottonwood, cypress, elder, elm, fir (balsam), hazel, hibiscus, horse chestnut, IVY, juniper, LIME, field maple, norway maple, marula, oak, pine, poplar, wild rose, saguaro rib, SOTOL, spruce, SYCAMORE, WILLOW, yucca.

  There are a few American woods, some African ones, and a few others...  They're all tried and tested.  In teh last section, the capital letters indicate the best, most suitable woods.

lol, i havent a clue what most of those woods are but i can easily get horse chestnut and sycamore so il lexperiment with them
Rik

Errr, i know oak pine willow and ivy, adn my mum will know some more,
rik

I've had great success in using dried mullien stalks for firemaking. They would be great for the actual stick.
  Where they really come in handy is a fireplow. Get a nice dried stalk, then a board, about 12 in. long. Cut a long groove in the board, lengthwise.
   On your knees, hold the board at an angle against your body. Start rubbing the stalk up and down in it. Do it slowly at first, so that the stalk can crumble a little and accumulate at the bottom. Then go faster and faster.
   Eventually, the debris will be warm enough to form coals. From there it must be nursed into fire.
   Check out the movie Castaway. In it, Tom Hanks tries both a bow and a plow, but only makes fire with a plow.
   As for a fire piston, these were made by Pacific Islanders. They work on the samre principle of the piston in the car.
    A tube ( they used lengths of bamboo) is filled with very fine tinder. A rod was made that just fit into the tube. This was pumped up and down a few times. The air is compressed, heated, and the tinder starts flaming. A well trained islander can get a fire going with this faster than can a white man with matches or a lighter.    ( And then we have the nerve to call them primative and stupid)   
   The only problem is that the tube piston fit has to be just right. Too loose and the air doesn't compress. Too tght and either the piston will get stuck, or the air will actually form a springy cushion, and you get no where.