NVC community CG2 (Festuca ovina - Avenula pratensis grassland) is one of the calcicolous grassland communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system. It is one of three short-sward communities associated with heavy grazing, within the lowland calcicolous grassland group, and is regarded as "typical" chalk grassland.
It is a comparatively widely distributed community. There are four subcommunities.
Community composition
The following constant species are found in this community:
- Meadow Oat-grass (Avenula pratensis)
- Quaking-grass (Briza media)
- Glaucous Sedge (Carex flacca)
- Sheep's Fescue (Festuca ovina)
- Mouse-ear Hawkweed (Hieracium pilosella)
- Crested Hair-grass (Koeleria macrantha)
- Rough Hawkbit (Leontodon hispidus)
- Fairy Flax (Linum catharticum)
- Bird's-foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)
- Ribwort Plantain (Plantago lanceolata)
- Salad Burnet (Sanguisorba minor)
- Small Scabious (Scabiosa columbaria)
- Wild Thyme (Thymus praecox)
The following rare species are also associated with the community:
- Man Orchid (Aceras anthropophorum)
- Ground-pine (Ajuga chamaepitys)
- Purple Milk-vetch (Astragalus danicus)
- Great Pignut (Bunium bulbocastanum)
- Rare Spring Sedge (Carex ericetorum)
- Dwarf Sedge (Carex humilis)
- Soft-leaved Sedge (Carex montana)
- Dwarf Mouse-ear (Cerastium pumilum)
- Tuberous Thistle (Cirsium tuberosum)
- Chalk Eyebright (Euphrasia pseudokerneri)
- Slender Bedstraw (Galium pumilum)
- Limestone Bedstraw (Galium sterneri)
- Early Gentian (Gentianella anglica)
- Chiltern Gentian (Gentianella germanica)
- Musk Orchid (Herminium monorchis)
- Spotted Cat's-ear (Hypochaeris maculata)
- Wild Candytuft (Iberis amara)
- Perennial Flax (Linum perenne subsp. anglicum)
- Late Spider-orchid (Ophrys fuciflora)
- Early Spider-orchid (Ophrys sphegodes)
- Monkey Orchid (Orchis simia)
- Burnt Orchid (Orchis ustulata)
- Broomrape (Orobanche picridis)
- Round-headed Rampion (Phyteuma tenerum)
- Dwarf Milkwort (Polygala amara)
- Chalk Milkwort (Polygala calcarea)
- Pasqueflower (Pulsatilla vulgaris)
- Meadow Clary (Salvia pratensis)
- Field Fleawort (Senecio integrifolius ssp. integrifolius)
- Moon Carrot (Seseli libanotis)
- Nottingham Catchfly (Silene nutans)
- Autumn Ladies'-tresses (Spiranthes spiralis)
- Cut-leaved Germander (Teucrium botrys)
- Bastard-toadflax (Thesium humifusum)
- Large Thyme (Thymus pulegioides)
- Spiked Speedwell (Veronica spicata)
Distribution
This community is found in lowland limestone grassland throughout England and Wales.
Subcommunities
There are four subcommunities, one of which is subdivided into three variants:
- the Cirsium acaule - Asperula cynanchica subcommunity, subdivided into:
- a typical variant
- a Filipendula vulgaris - Helinathemum nummularium variant
- a Pseudoscleropodium purum - Prunella vulgaris variant
- the Succisa pratensis - Leucanthemum vulgare subcommunity
- the Holcus lanatus - Trifolium repens subcommunity
- the Dicranum scoparium subcommunity
References
- Rodwell, J. S. (1992) British Plant Communities Volume 3 - Grasslands and montane communities ISBN 0-521-39166-0 (hardback), ISBN 0-521-62719-2 (paperback)
This page was last edited on 20 March 2024, at 21:37