NVC community CG2 (''Festuca ovina - Avenula pratensis'' grassland) is one of the calcicolous grassland

communities A community is a Level of analysis, social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place (geography), place, Norm (social), norms, religion, values, Convention (norm), customs, or Identity (social science), identity. Communiti ...

in the

British National Vegetation Classification __NOTOC__ The British National Vegetation Classification or NVC is a system of classifying natural habitat types in Great Britain according to the vegetation they contain. A large scientific meeting of ecologists, botanists, and other related pr ...

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 A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non-woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or artifi ...

(''Avenula pratensis'') *

Quaking-grass ''Briza'' is a genus of annual and perennial plants in the grass family, native to northern temperate regions of Eurasia, North Africa, and certain islands in the Atlantic. The group is generally referred to as the quaking grasses because the ...

(''Briza media'') *

Glaucous Sedge ''Carex flacca'', with common names blue sedge, gray carex, glaucous sedge, or carnation-grass, (syn. ''Carex glauca''), is a species of sedge native to parts of Europe and North Africa.

(''Carex flacca'') *

Sheep's Fescue ''Festuca ovina'', sheep's fescue or sheep fescue, is a species of grass. It is sometimes confused with hard fescue (''Festuca trachyphylla''). General description It is a perennial plant sometimes found in acidic ground, and in mountain pastur ...

(''Festuca ovina'') *

Mouse-ear Hawkweed ''Pilosella officinarum'' ( synonym ''Hieracium pilosella''), known as mouse-ear hawkweed, is a yellow-flowered species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae, native to Europe and northern Asia. It produces single, lemon-coloured infl ...

(''Hieracium pilosella'') * Crested Hair-grass (''Koeleria macrantha'') * Rough Hawkbit (''Leontodon hispidus'') * Fairy Flax (''Linum catharticum'') *

Bird's-foot Trefoil ''Lotus corniculatus'' is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae, native to grasslands in temperate Eurasia and North Africa. Common names include common bird's-foot trefoil, eggs and bacon, birdsfoot deervetch, and just bird's-foot trefo ...

(''Lotus corniculatus'') *

Ribwort Plantain ''Plantago lanceolata'' is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae. It is known by the common names ribwort plantain, narrowleaf plantain, English plantain, ribleaf, lamb's tongue, and buckhorn. It is a common weed on c ...

(''Plantago lanceolata'') *

Salad Burnet ''Sanguisorba minor'', the salad burnet, garden burnet, small burnet, burnet (also used for ''Sanguisorba'' generally), pimpernelle, Toper's plant, and burnet-bloodwort, is an edible perennial herbaceous plant in the family Rosaceae. It has fe ...

(''Sanguisorba minor'') * Small Scabious (''Scabiosa columbaria'') * Wild Thyme (''Thymus praecox'') The following rare species are also associated with the community: *

Man Orchid ''Orchis anthropophora'' (formerly ''Aceras anthropophorum''), the man orchid, is a European species of orchid whose flowers resemble a human figure. The head is formed by the petals and sepals, and the suspended torso and limbs by the lobes of t ...

(''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'', also called mountain or soft-leaved sedge, is a species of grass of the genus ''Carex''. It is most commonly found in Europe and Central Russia. It is native to most countries in Europe including the UK, Germany, France and S ...

(''Carex montana'') *

Dwarf Mouse-ear ''Cerastium pumilum'', the dwarf mouse-ear or European chickweed, is an annual or biannual herbaceous plant, between 2 and 20 cm. high, native to Central and western Europe. The petals of the white flowers are shorter or equally long as the ...

(''Cerastium pumilum'') *

Tuberous Thistle Tubers are a type of enlarged structure used as storage organs for nutrients in some plants. They are used for the plant's perennation (survival of the winter or dry months), to provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growin ...

(''Cirsium tuberosum'') * Chalk Eyebright ('' Euphrasia pseudokerneri'') *

Slender Bedstraw ''Galium pumilum'', the slender bedstraw or small bedstraw, is a plant species of the genus ''Galium ''Galium'' is a large genus of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the family Rubiaceae, occurring in the temperate zones of both the N ...

(''Galium pumilum'') * Limestone Bedstraw (''Galium sterneri'') *

Early Gentian ''Gentianella anglica'', the early gentian, is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Gentianella'', native to Great Britain. ''Gentianella anglica'' is endemic to Great Britain and its centre of distribution is in Dorset, Wiltshire, and the ...

(''Gentianella anglica'') *

Chiltern Gentian ''Gentianella germanica'', common name German gentian, also known in the United Kingdom as the Chiltern gentian, is a flowering plant in the family Gentianaceae. It was chosen as the County flowers of the United Kingdom, county flower of Bucking ...

(''Gentianella germanica'') * Musk Orchid (''Herminium monorchis'') * Spotted Cat's-ear (''Hypochaeris maculata'') * Wild Candytuft (''Iberis amara'') *

Perennial Flax ''Linum perenne'', the perennial flax, blue flax or lint, is a flowering plant in the family Linaceae, native to Europe, primarily in the Alps and locally in England. It has been introduced into North America, where it can be found on mountain ri ...

(''Linum perenne'' subsp. ''anglicum'') * Late Spider-orchid (''Ophrys fuciflora'') *

Early Spider-orchid ''Ophrys sphegodes'', commonly known as the early spider-orchid, is a species of sexually-deceptive orchid native to Europe and the Middle East. It is a very varied species with many subspecies recognised. Description Plant height varies with l ...

(''Ophrys sphegodes'') *

Monkey Orchid Monkey orchid is a common name for several plants and may refer to: * '' Calanthe tricarinata'', native to southeast and east Asia * '' Dracula gigas'', native to South America * ''Dracula simia'', native to South America * ''Orchis simia ''Orch ...

(''Orchis simia'') *

Burnt Orchid ''Neotinea ustulata'' (syn. ''Orchis ustula''), the burnt orchid or burnt-tip orchid, is a European terrestrial orchid native to mountains in central and southern Europe, growing at up to elevation. The plant is considered Endangered in Great Br ...

(''Orchis ustulata'') *

Broomrape ''Orobanche'', commonly known as broomrape, is a genus of over 200 species of small Parasitic plant, parasitic herbaceous plants, mostly native to the temperate climate, temperate Northern Hemisphere. It is the type genus of the Orobanchaceae, ...

(''Orobanche picridis'') *

Round-headed Rampion Phyteuma orbiculare, common name round-headed rampion or Pride of Sussex, is a herbaceous perennial plant of the genus ''Phyteuma'' belonging to the family Campanulaceae. Description ''Phyteuma orbiculare'' reaches on average of height. A dee ...

(''Phyteuma tenerum'') * Dwarf Milkwort (''Polygala amara'') *

Chalk Milkwort ''Polygala calcarea'', the chalk milkwort, is a species of flowering plant in the family Polygalaceae, native to western Europe. It is a delicate mat-forming evergreen perennial growing to tall by broad, with spikes of small, vivid deep blue fl ...

(''Polygala calcarea'') * Pasqueflower (''Pulsatilla vulgaris'') *

Meadow Clary ''Salvia pratensis'', the meadow clary or meadow sage, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae, native to Europe, western Asia and northern Africa. The Latin specific epithet ''pratensis'' means "of meadows", referring to its pr ...

(''Salvia pratensis'') *

Field Fleawort ''Tephroseris integrifolia'' (vernacular name: field fleawort) is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Asteraceae. Its native range is Europe to Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сиб ...

(''Senecio integrifolius'' ssp. ''integrifolius'') * Moon Carrot (''Seseli libanotis'') *

Nottingham Catchfly ''Silene nutans'' is a flowering plant in the genus ''Silene'', most commonly known as Nottingham catchfly. Description ''Silene nutans'' is a diploid, mainly outcrossing, herbaceous, perennial plant. It grows up to tall, from a branching, wood ...

(''Silene nutans'') * Autumn Ladies'-tresses (''Spiranthes spiralis'') * Cut-leaved Germander (''Teucrium botrys'') *

Bastard-toadflax Bastard toadflax or bastard-toadflax is a common name for a plant which may refer to: *''Comandra'' *''Thesium humifusum ''Thesium humifusum'' is a species of hemiparasitic flowering plant in the family Santalaceae found in western Europe and nor ...

(''Thesium humifusum'') *

Large Thyme ''Thymus pulegioides'', common names broad-leaved thyme or lemon thyme, is a species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae, native to Europe. Growing to tall by wide, it is a small spreading subshrub with strongly aromatic leaves, and lila ...

(''Thymus pulegioides'') *

Spiked Speedwell ''Veronica spicata'' (spiked speedwell; syn. ''Pseudolysimachion spicatum'') is a species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae. It is tall and bears 1 foot long spikes with blue, pink, purple and white flowers. It is the county flow ...

(''Veronica spicata'')

Distribution

This community is found in lowland limestone grassland throughout

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

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. John S. Rodwell (1946 – present) is an ecologist who was based at the University of Lancaster, noted for his role in the development of the British National Vegetation Classification and as editor of the five volumes of ''British Plant Commu ...

(1992) '' British Plant Communities Volume 3 - Grasslands and montane communities'' (hardback), (paperback) {{NVC-CG CG02