British NVC community MG4 (''Alopecurus pratensis - Sanguisorba officinalis'' grassland) is one of the

mesotrophic grassland Mesotrophic may refer to: * Mesotrophic lake * Mesotrophic soil See also * Oligotrophic * Eutrophic Eutrophication is the process by which an entire body of water, or parts of it, becomes progressively enriched with minerals and nutrients, p ...

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 such communities associated with well-drained permanent pastures and meadows. This community, although widespread in the past, now has a scattered distribution in the Midlands and southern England. One rare species rare species is associated with this community: snake's-head fritillary (''Fritillaria meleagris'') and six rare micro-species of dandelion, ''Taraxacum fulgidum'', ''T. haematicum'', ''T. melanthoides'', ''T. sublaeticolor'', ''T. subundulatum'' and ''T. tamesense''. There are four subcommunities. __NOTOC__

Subcommunities

* the ''Dactylis glomerata'' subcommunity The Cock’s-foot sub-community is the most species-rich of the four sub-communities and is generally found where the water table remains low throughout the growing season and flooding is rare. Distinguishing species that are constant include cock’s-foot (''Dactylis glomerata'') and yellow oat-grass (''Trisetum flavescens'').

Meadow foxtail ''Alopecurus pratensis'', known as the meadow foxtail or the field meadow foxtail, is a perennial grass belonging to the grass family (Poaceae). It is native to Europe and Asia. This common plant is found on grasslands, especially on neutral so ...

, (''Alopecurus pratensis'') which is included in the scientific name for the overall community is found only sparsely and patchily in this sub-community. * the ''Typical'' subcommunity The Typical sub-community, as its name implies, describes those stands closest in their species composition to the Burnet floodplain meadow

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...

as a whole. However, stands of the Typical sub-community are less species-rich than those of the Cock’s foot sub-community, with on average 22 species per square metre, and there are no strongly preferential species * the ''Holcus lanatus'' subcommunity The Yorkshire fog sub-community has a high cover of grasses such as

meadow foxtail ''Alopecurus pratensis'', known as the meadow foxtail or the field meadow foxtail, is a perennial grass belonging to the grass family (Poaceae). It is native to Europe and Asia. This common plant is found on grasslands, especially on neutral so ...

(''Alopecurus pratensis''), rough-stalked meadow-grass (''Poa trivialis'') and creeping bent (''Agrostis stolonifera''). It tends to be associated with sites which experience a high water table for longer periods during the growing season than the two preceding sub-communities. It is less species-rich than the Cock’s-foot and Typical sub-communities. * the ''Agrostis stolonifera'' subcommunity The Creeping bent sub-community is the most species-poor. It tends to be associated with areas that experience prolonged inundation (which can also lead to higher soil fertility) and is especially characteristic of the

Derwent Ings Derwent Ings is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) divided between North Yorkshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Derwent Ings is of international significance and has been designated a Wetland of International Importance ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

Community composition

The following constant species are found in this community: *

(''Alopecurus pratensis'') *

Common mouse-ear ''Cerastium fontanum'', also called mouse-ear chickweed, common mouse-ear, or starweed, is a species of mat-forming perennial or, rarely, annual plant. It is native to Europe but introduced elsewhere. Its identifying characteristics are tear-sh ...

(''Cerastium fontanum'') *

Crested dog's-tail ''Cynosurus cristatus'', the crested dog's-tail, is a short-lived perennial grass in the family Poaceae, characterised by a seed head that is flat on one side. It typically grows in species rich grassland. It thrives in a variety of soil types ...

(''Cynosurus cristatus'') *

Red fescue ''Festuca rubra'' is a species of grass known by the common name red fescue or creeping red fescue. It is widespread across much of the Northern Hemisphere and can tolerate many habitats and climates. It is best adapted to well-drained soils in ...

(''Festuca rubra'') * Meadowsweet (''Filipendula ulmaria'') *

Yorkshire-fog ''Holcus lanatus'' is a perennial Poaceae, grass. The specific name (botany), specific epithet ' is Latin for 'woolly' which describes the plant's hairy texture. Common names include Yorkshire fog, tufted grass, and meadow soft grass. In North Am ...

(''Holcus lanatus'') *

Meadow vetchling ''Lathyrus pratensis'' or meadow vetchling, yellow pea, meadow pea and meadow pea-vine, is a perennial legume that grows to 1.2 m in height. The hermaphrodite flowers are pollinated by bees. As a perennial, this plant reproduces itself over man ...

(''Lathyrus pratensis'') *

Autumn hawkbit ''Scorzoneroides autumnalis'', commonly called autumn hawkbit, is a perennial plant species, widespread in its native range in Eurasia (from Europe east to western Siberia), and introduced in North America. The plant is sometimes called fall da ...

(''Leontodon autumnalis'') *

Perennial rye-grass ''Lolium perenne'', common name perennial ryegrass, English ryegrass, winter ryegrass, or ray grass, is a grass from the family Poaceae. It is native to Europe, Asia and northern Africa, but is widely cultivated and naturalised around the world. ...

(''Lolium perenne'') *

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'') *

Meadow buttercup ''Ranunculus acris'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, and is one of the more common buttercups across Europe and temperate Eurasia. Common names include meadow buttercup, tall buttercup, common buttercup and giant but ...

(''Ranunculus acris'') *

Common sorrel Sorrel (''Rumex acetosa''), also called common sorrel or garden sorrel, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Polygonaceae. Other names for sorrel include spinach dock and narrow-leaved dock ('dock' being a common name for the genus '' ...

(''Rumex acetosa'') *

Great burnet ''Sanguisorba officinalis'', commonly known as great burnet, is a plant in the family Rosaceae, subfamily Rosoideae. It is native throughout the cooler regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, northern Asia, and northern North America. It ...

(''Sanguisorba officinalis'') *

Dandelion ''Taraxacum'' () is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, which consists of species commonly known as dandelions. The scientific and hobby study of the genus is known as taraxacology. The genus is native to Eurasia and Nor ...

(''Taraxacum officinale'' agg.) *

Red clover ''Trifolium pratense'', the red clover, is a herbaceous species of flowering plant in the bean family Fabaceae, native to Europe, Western Asia, and northwest Africa, but planted and naturalized in many other regions. Description Red clov ...

(''Trifolium pratense'') *

White clover ''Trifolium repens'', the white clover, is a herbaceous perennial plant in the bean family Fabaceae (otherwise known as Leguminosae). It is native to Europe, including the British Isles,Clapham, A.R., Tutin, T.G. and Warburg., E.F. 1968. ''Excursi ...

(''Trifolium repens'')

References

* Rodwell, J. S. (1992) '' British Plant Communities Volume 3 - Grasslands and montane communities'' (hardback), (paperback) * Rothero, E., Lake. S, and Gowing, D. (eds) (2016). ''Floodplain Meadows – Beauty and Utility. A Technical Handbook'' Milton Keynes, Floodplain Meadows Partnership (paperback)

External links

* http://www.floodplainmeadows.org.uk/about-meadows/wildlife/plant-communities {{NVC-MG MG04