NVC community H6 (''Erica vagans - Ulex europaeus'' heath) is one of the

heath A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler ...

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 five communities categorised as lowland dry heaths. It has a very localised distribution in southern England. There are four subcommunities. __NOTOC__

Community composition

The following constant species are found in this community: * Brown Bent (''Agrostis vinealis'') * Glaucous Sedge (''Carex flacca'') *

Bell Heather ''Erica cinerea'', the bell heather, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae, native to western and central Europe. The plant provides a great deal of nectar for pollinators. It was rated in the top 5 for most nectar produ ...

(''Erica cinerea'') *

Cornish Heath ''Erica vagans'', the Cornish heath or wandering heath, is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae, native to Ireland, Cornwall, western France and Spain. It is a vigorous, spreading, evergreen heather reaching tall and wide, with ...

(''Erica vagans'') * Meadowsweet (''Filipendula ulmaria'') * Common Gorse (''Ulex europaeus'') *

Western Gorse ''Ulex gallii'', the western gorse or dwarf furzeA R Clapham, T G Tutin, E F Warburg, ''Flora of the British Isles'', Cambridge, 1962, p. 332 is an evergreen shrub in the pea family (Fabaceae), native to the Atlantic coasts of western Europe: sou ...

(''Ulex gallii'') * Common Dog-violet (''Viola riviniana'') A number of rare species are associated with the community:

Bristle Bent ''Agrostis curtisii'', the bristle bent, is a species of grass in the family Poaceae native to Eurasia. It is densely tufted, with hair like leaves and stems that grow up to 60 cm. Its spikelets are yellow-green in colour, and its lemmas ...

(''Agrostis curtisii''),

Chives Chives, scientific name ''Allium schoenoprasum'', is a species of flowering plant in the family Amaryllidaceae that produces edible leaves and flowers. Their close relatives include the common onions, garlic, shallot, leek, scallion, and ...

(''Allium schoenoprasum''),

(''Erica vagans''), Dwarf Rush (''Juncus capitatus''),

Spring Squill ''Scilla verna'', commonly known as spring squill, is a flowering plant native to Western Europe. It belongs to the squill genus ''Scilla''. Its star-like blue flowers are produced during the spring. It is a small plant, usually reaching 5-15 ce ...

(''Scilla verna'') and Twin-headed Clover (''Trifolium bocconei'').

Distribution

This community is confined to

The Lizard The Lizard ( kw, An Lysardh) is a peninsula in southern Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The most southerly point of the British mainland is near Lizard Point at SW 701115; Lizard village, also known as The Lizard, is the most southerl ...

peninsula in

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

Subcommunities

There are four subcommunities: * the so-called typical subcommunity * the ''Festuca ovina'' subcommunity * the ''Agrostis curtisii'' subcommunity * the ''Molinia caerulea'' subcommunity

References

* Rodwell, J. S. (1991) '' British Plant Communities Volume 2 - Mires and heaths'' (hardback), (paperback) {{NVC-H H06 Lizard Peninsula