British NVC community MC1 (''Crithmum maritimum'' - ''Spergularia rupicola'' maritime rock-crevice community) is one of the maritime cliff

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 maritime cliff crevice and ledge communities. This community is found locally in coastal areas of western and southern Britain . There are three subcommunities.

Community composition

Four constant species are found in this community: *

Rock Samphire ''Crithmum'' is a monospecific genus of flowering plant in the carrot family Apiaceae, with the sole species ''Crithmum maritimum'', known as rock samphire, sea fennel or samphire. The name "samphire" is also used for several other unrela ...

(''Crithmum maritimum'') * Greater Sea-spurrey (''Spergularia rupicola'') * Red Fescue (''Festuca rubra'') * Thrift (''Armeria maritima'') At least two rare species are associated with this community, Curved Hard-grass (''Parapholis incurva''), and the Rock Sea-lavender (''Limonium recurvum''). Other members of the ''Limonium binervosum'' complex may also occur.

Distribution

This community is found in coastal areas on the west coast of Britain, with the greatest concentrations on the western coasts of Wales, and in Devon and Cornwall. Outlying stands exist on the English south coast in Dorset and Kent, and in southwest Scotland.

Subcommunities

There are three subcommunities: * the so-called typical subcommunity * the ''Inula crithmoides'' subcommunity * the Rayed ''Aster tripolium'' 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 ...

(2000) '' British Plant Communities Volume 5 - Maritime communities and vegetation of open habitats'' (hardback), (paperback) {{NVC-MC MC01