British NVC community OV41 (''Parietaria diffusa'' community) is one of the
open habitat 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 six communities of crevice, scree and spoil vegetation.
This community is widely distributed in suitable habitats in the southern lowlands of Britain.
There are two
subcommunities.
Community composition
One
constant species is found in this community:
* Pellitory-of-the-wall (''
Parietaria judaica
''Parietaria judaica'', with common names spreading pellitory or pellitory of the wall, is a species of herbaceous perennial plant in the family Urticaceae. The plant's pollen is highly allergenic. In Australia it is also known as asthma weed, du ...
'')
Three
rare species are associated with the community:
* Wild cabbage (''
Brassica oleracea
''Brassica oleracea'' is a plant species from family Brassicaceae that includes many common cultivars used as vegetables, such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, Savoy cabbage, kohlrabi, and gai lan.
Its ...
'')
* Yellow whitlowgrass (''
Draba aizoides
''Draba aizoides'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae, known as yellow whitlow-grass. It is native to Europe where it is found on limestone rocks and walls. In the British Isles it is found only on the Gower Peninsula in ...
'')
* Nottingham catchfly (''
Silene nutans
''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 ...
'')
Distribution
This community is widely distributed in suitable habitats in the southern lowlands of Britain, mainly in south-east England. It is found on sunny ledges and in crevices on limestone quarry rock faces and cliffs and mortared walls; the ''Daucus carota'' subcommunity, which is restricted to coastal locations, is found as far west as south Wales.
It is essentially the same as the ''Parietarietum judaicae'' assemblage recognised in other parts of Europe.
Subcommunities
There are two
subcommunities:
* the ''Homalothecium sericeum - Tortula muralis'' subcommunity
* the ''Daucus carota'' subcommunity
References
{{NVC-OV
OV41