__NOTOC__ NVC community CG4 (''Brachypodium pinnatum'' 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 four communities of rank, tussocky grassland associated with low levels of grazing, within the lowland calcicolous grassland group. It is a comparatively widely distributed community. There are three subcommunities.

Community composition

The following constant species are found in this community: * Tor-grass (''Brachypodium pinnatum'') *

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'') The following rare species are also associated with the community: * Purple Milk-vetch (''Astragalus danicus'') * Musk Orchid (''Herminium monorchis'')

Distribution

This community is found in lowland

limestone grassland Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms when t ...

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 ...

Subcommunities

There are three subcommunities: * the so-called typical subcommunity: * the ''Avenula pratensis - Thymus praecox'' subcommunity * the ''Centaurea nigra - Leontodon hispidus'' subcommunity * the ''Holcus lanatus'' 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 CG04