Purple moor grass and rush pastures is a type of Biodiversity Action Plan habitat in the UK. It occurs on poorly drained neutral and

acidic soil Soil pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity (alkalinity) of a soil. Soil pH is a key characteristic that can be used to make informative analysis both qualitative and quantitatively regarding soil characteristics. pH is defined as the neg ...

s of the lowlands and upland fringe. It is found in the South West of England, especially in Devon. The

vegetation Vegetation is an assemblage of plant species and the ground cover they provide. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic character ...

consists of species-rich, semi-natural

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...

containing abundant purple moor grass (''

Molinia caerulea ''Molinia caerulea'', known by the common name purple moor-grass, is a species of grass that is native to Europe, west Asia, and north Africa. It grows in locations from the lowlands up to in the Alps. Like most grasses, it grows best in acid so ...

'') and one or more of several creeping rushes: sharp-flowered rush ('' Juncus acutiflorus''), jointed rush (''

Juncus articulatus ''Juncus articulatus'' is a flowering plant species in the rush family Juncaceae. It is known by the common name jointleaf rush or jointed rush, which can also refer to '' J. kraussii'' from Australia. It is native to Eurasia, Canada, Greenland, ...

'') and blunt-flowered rush (''

Juncus subnodulosus ''Juncus subnodulosus'', the blunt-flowered rush, is a species of rush. It natively occurs from the Mediterranean region across temperate Europe, but it does not range far into Scandinavia. Introduced populations exist in New Zealand and North ...

''). Only 8% remains of the area thought to have existed in 1900. In the UK estimate the area is thought to be less than . Their importance is recognised and are included as a priority habitat in the

United Kingdom Biodiversity Action Plan The United Kingdom Biodiversity Action Plan or (UK BAP) was the UK government's response to the Convention on Biological Diversity, opened for signature at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992. The UK was the first country to produce a national Biodivers ...

Etymology

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

and

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 ...

it is known as culm grassland, after the

Culm Measures The Culm Measures are a thick sequence of geological strata originating during the Carboniferous Period that occur in south-west England, principally in Devon and Cornwall, now known as the Culm Supergroup. Its estimated thickness varies between 36 ...

on which it is predominantly found. In

East Anglia East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...

it is known as ''litter meadow'' due to the practice of cutting it for bedding. In Wales it is known as ''rhôs pasture''.

Typical grasses

Common bent (''

Agrostis capillaris ''Agrostis capillaris'', the common bent, colonial bent, or browntop, is a rhizomatous and stoloniferous perennial in the grass family (Poaceae). It is native to Eurasia and has been widely introduced in many parts of the world. Colonial ben ...

''), crested dog's-tail (''

Cynosurus cristatus ''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 ...

''), floating sweet grass (''

Glyceria fluitans ''Glyceria fluitans'' ( syns ''Festuca fluitans'', ''Poa fluitans'', ''Panicularia fluitans''), known as floating sweet-grass and water mannagrass, is a species of perennial grass in the genus ''Glyceria'' native to Europe, the Mediterranean re ...

''), marsh foxtail (''

Alopecurus geniculatus ''Alopecurus geniculatus'' is a species of Poaceae, grass known by the common name water foxtail or marsh foxtail. It is native to much of Eurasia and introduced into North America, South America, and Australia. It grows in moist areas. ''Alopec ...

''), purple moor grass (''

''), red fescue (''

Festuca rubra ''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 c ...

''), sweet vernal grass (''

Anthoxanthum odoratum ''Anthoxanthum odoratum'', known as sweet vernal grass, is a short-lived perennial grass that is native to acidic grassland in Eurasia and northern Africa. It is grown as a lawn grass and a house plant, due to its sweet scent, and can also be ...

'').

Characteristic species

The Natural England Higher Level Stewardship Farm Environmental Plan handbook defines the habitat as grassland with at least two of the following species are found frequently, with another two being found occasionally. *Bog asphodel (''

Narthecium ossifragum ''Narthecium ossifragum'', commonly known as bog asphodel, Lancashire asphodel or bastard asphodel, is a species of flowering plant in the family Nartheciaceae. It is native to Western Europe, found on wet, boggy moorlands up to about in elev ...

'') *Bog mosses (''

Sphagnum ''Sphagnum'' is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as sphagnum moss, peat moss, also bog moss and quacker moss (although that term is also sometimes used for peat). Accumulations of ''Sphagnum'' can store wa ...

'' spp) *Bog pimpernel ('' Anagallis tenella'') *Bugle (''

Ajuga reptans ''Ajuga reptans'' is commonly known as bugle, blue bugle, bugleherb, bugleweed, carpetweed, carpet bugleweed, and common bugle, and traditionally but less commonly as St. Lawrence plant. It is an herbaceous flowering plant in the mint family Lami ...

'') *Common valerian (''

Valeriana officinalis Valerian (''Valeriana officinalis'', Caprifoliaceae) is a perennial flowering plant native to Europe and Asia. In the summer when the mature plant may have a height of , it bears sweetly scented pink or white flowers that attract many fly specie ...

'') *Common meadow-rue (''

Thalictrum flavum ''Thalictrum flavum'', known by the common names common meadow-rue, poor man's rhubarb, and yellow meadow-rue,Peder Skou is a flowering plant species in the family Ranunculaceae. It is a native to Caucasus and Russia (Siberia). Growing to tall ...

'') *Cross-leaved heath (''

Erica tetralix ''Erica tetralix'', the cross-leaved heath, is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae, native to western Europe, from southern Portugal to central Norway, as well as a number of boggy regions further from the coast in Central Europ ...

'') *Devil's-bit scabious (''

Succisa pratensis ''Succisa pratensis'', also known as devil's-bit or devil's-bit scabious, is a flowering plant in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae. It differs from other similar species in that it has four-lobed flowers, whereas small scabious and field s ...

'') *Globeflower (''

Trollius europaeus ''Trollius europaeus'', the globeflower, is a perennial flowering plant of the family Ranunculaceae. The plant is native to Europe and Western Asia and is a protected species in Russia and Bulgaria. In Udmurtia, this plant is one of the nation ...

'') *Greater burnet (''

Sanguisorba officinalis ''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 ...

'') *Greater bird's foot trefoil (''

Lotus pedunculatus ''Lotus pedunculatus'' (formerly ''Lotus uliginosus''), the big trefoil, greater bird's-foot-trefoil or marsh bird's-foot trefoil, is a member of the pea family (Fabaceae). It is a herbaceous perennial growing throughout Europe in damp, open loc ...

'') *Hemp-agrimony (''

Eupatorium cannabinum ''Eupatorium cannabinum'', commonly known as hemp-agrimony, or holy rope, is a herbaceous plant in the family Asteraceae. It is a robust Perennial plant, perennial native to many areas of Europe. The alkaloids may be present in the plant material ...

'') *Jointed rush (''

'') *Lesser spearwort (''

Ranunculus flammula ''Ranunculus flammula'', the lesser spearwort, greater creeping spearwort or banewort, is a species of perennial herbaceous plants in the genus ''Ranunculus'' (buttercup), growing in damp places throughout the Boreal Kingdom. It flowers June/Jul ...

'') *Lesser water-parsnip (''

Berula erecta ''Berula erecta'', known as lesser water-parsnip or cutleaf waterparsnip or narrow-leaved water-parsnip, is a member of the Apiaceae, carrot family. Growing to around tall, it is found in or by water. It is widespread across much of Europe, Asia ...

'') *Lousewort (''

Pedicularis sylvatica ''Pedicularis sylvatica'', commonly known as common lousewort, is a plant species in the genus ''Pedicularis''. It is native to central and northern Europe where it grows on moist acidic soils, moorland, grassy heathland and the drier parts of ma ...

'') *Fen bedstraw ('' Galium uliginosum'') *Marsh bedstraw (''

Galium palustre ''Galium palustre'', the common marsh bedstraw or simply marsh-bedstraw, is a herbaceous annual plant of the family Rubiaceae. This plant is widely distributed, native to virtually every country in Europe, plus Morocco, the Azores, Turkey, Turkm ...

'') *Marsh cinquefoil ('' Potentilla palustris'') *Marsh hawk's-beard ('' Crepis paludosa'') *Marsh-marigold ('' Caltha palustris'') *Marsh pennywort (''

Hydrocotyle vulgaris ''Hydrocotyle vulgaris'', the marsh pennywort, common pennywort, water naval, money plant, lucky plant or copper coin, is a small creeping aquatic perennial plant native to North Africa, Europe, the Caucasus and parts of the Levant. Description ...

'') *Marsh valerian (''

Valeriana dioica ''Valeriana dioica'', the marsh valerian, is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Valeriana ''Valeriana'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caprifoliaceae, members of which may by commonly known as valerians. It contains many ...

'') *Marsh violet (''

Viola palustris ''Viola palustris'' (marsh violet, or alpine marsh violet) is a perennial forb of the genus ''Viola''. It inhabits moist meadows, marshes, and stream banks in northern parts of North America and Eurasia. The species epithet ''palustris'' is Latin ...

'') *Meadow thistle (''

Cirsium dissectum ''Cirsium dissectum'', also known as meadow thistle, is an erect perennial herb. It is found in England, Wales, Ireland, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Norway, etc. It is found in fens and less acidic peat bogs i.e. it ...

'') *Meadowsweet (''

Filipendula ulmaria ''Filipendula ulmaria'', commonly known as meadowsweet or mead wort, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Rosaceae that grows in damp meadows. It is native throughout most of Europe and Western Asia (Near east and Middle east). It has ...

'') *

Orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

s (Orchidaceae) *Ragged robin (''

Lychnis flos-cuculi ''Silene flos-cuculi'' (syn. ''Lychnis flos-cuculi''), commonly called ragged-robin, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. This species is native to Europe and Asia, where it is found along roads and in wet meadows and p ...

'') *Rough hawkbit (''

Leontodon hispidus ''Leontodon hispidus'' is a species of hawkbit known by the common names bristly hawkbit and rough hawkbit. It is native to Europe but it can be found throughout North America as an introduced species An introduced species, alien species, ex ...

'') *Saw-wort (''

Serratula tinctoria ''Serratula tinctoria'', commonly known as dyer's plumeless saw-wort or saw-wort, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is a native of Europe with a thistle-like flower head. It grows in moist soil, full sun to part shade, ...

'') *Sneezewort (''

Achillea ptarmica ''Achillea ptarmica'' is a European species of herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the genus ''Achillea'' of the daisy family Asteraceae. Common names include the sneezewort, sneezeweed, bastard pellitory, European pellitory, fair-maid-of-Fr ...

'') *Tormentil (''

Potentilla erecta ''Potentilla erecta'' (syn. ''Tormentilla erecta'', ''Potentilla laeta'', ''Potentilla tormentilla'', known as the (common) tormentil, septfoil or erect cinquefoil ) is a herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the rose family ( Rosaceae). Descr ...

'') *Water avens (''

Geum rivale ''Geum rivale'', the water avens, is a flowering plant in the genus ''Geum'' within the family Rosaceae. Other names for the plant are nodding avens, drooping avens, cure-all, water flower and Indian chocolate. It is native to the temperate regi ...

'') *Water mint (''

Mentha aquatica ''Mentha aquatica'' (water mint; syn. ''Mentha hirsuta'' Huds.Euro+Med Plantbase Project''Mentha aquatica'') is a perennial flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae. It grows in moist places and is native to much of Europe, northwest Africa ...

'') *Whorled Caraway (''

Carum verticillatum ''Carum'' is a genus of about 20 species of flowering plants in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate regions of the Old World. Two of the best recognized species are caraway (''C. carvi''), the seeds of which are widely used as a spice, and ...

'') *Wild angelica ('' Angelica sylvaticum'') *Small blue-green

sedges The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus ''Carex'' wit ...

: glaucous sedge ('' Carex flacca''), common sedge ('' Carex nigra''), carnation sedge ('' Carex panicea'') etc. *Yellow flag (''

Iris pseudacorus ''Iris pseudacorus'', the yellow flag, yellow iris, or water flag, is a species of flowering plant in the family Iridaceae. It is native to Europe, western Asia and northwest Africa. Its specific epithet ''pseudacorus'' means "false acorus", re ...

'')

Key animal species associated with purple moor grass and rush pastures

Marsh fritillary The marsh fritillary (''Euphydryas aurinia'') is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. Commonly distributed in the Palearctic region, the marsh fritillary's common name derives from one of its several habitats, marshland. The prolonged larval s ...

butterfly (''Eurodryas aurinia''), uses scattered scrub and carr in September/October. *

Brown hairstreak The brown hairstreak (''Thecla betulae'') is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae. The range includes most of the Palaearctic. Description The following description of this butterfly was written by Adalbert Seitz in 1909: ''Z. betulae'' L. B ...

(''Theccla betulae'') * Narrow-bordered bee hawkmoth (''

Hemaris tityus ''Hemaris tityus'', the narrow-bordered bee hawk-moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae which is native to the Palearctic. Range It has a wide range, from Ireland across temperate Europe to the Ural Mountains, western Siberia, Novosibirsk and ...

'') - fly during April/May, during the day. *

Eurasian curlew The Eurasian curlew or common curlew (''Numenius arquata'') is a very large wader in the family Scolopacidae. It is one of the most widespread of the curlews, breeding across temperate Europe and Asia. In Europe, this species is often referred t ...

(''Numenius arquata'') - lays eggs in April/May in open ground on a mound or tussock, incubates them through to June, and young may not be ready to fly until late July or into August. *

Common snipe The common snipe (''Gallinago gallinago'') is a small, stocky wader native to the Old World. The breeding habitats are marshes, bogs, tundra and wet meadows throughout the Palearctic. In the north, the distribution limit extends from Iceland ...

(''Gallinago gallinago'') * Barn owl (''Tyto alba'') * Marbled white (''Melanargia galathea'') on the wing in June/July. *

Reed bunting The common reed bunting (''Emberiza schoeniclus'') is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae. The genus name ''Emberiza'' is from Old German ''Embritz'', a ...

(''Emberiza schoeniclus'') uses scattered scrub and carr in September/October.

British National Vegetative Classification

The main British National Vegetation Classification communities associated with purple moor grass and rush pastures include M23 (Juncus effusus/acutiflorus-Galium palustre rush pasture), M25 (

-Potentilla erecta mire), M26 (Molinia caerulea- Crepis paludosa mire) and

British NVC community MG10 __NOTOC__ British NVC community MG10 (''Holcus lanatus'' – ''Juncus effusus'' rush-pasture) is one of the mesotrophic grassland communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system. It is one of three communities associated wit ...

(Holco-Juncetum effusi rush-pasture).

Threats

Drainage Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of a surface's water and sub-surface water from an area with excess of water. The internal drainage of most agricultural soils is good enough to prevent severe waterlogging (anaerobic conditio ...

* Cultivation *

Fertiliser A fertilizer (American English) or fertiliser (British English; see spelling differences) is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from ...

application *

Overgrazing Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, game reserves, or nature res ...

*Frequent

burning Combustion, or burning, is a high-temperature exothermic redox chemical reaction between a fuel (the reductant) and an oxidant, usually atmospheric oxygen, that produces oxidized, often gaseous products, in a mixture termed as smoke. Combusti ...

* Undergrazing - leading to succession to scrub and woodland. Can become dominated by soft rush (''

Juncus effusus ''Juncus effusus'', with the common names common rush or soft rush, is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant species in the rush family Juncaceae. In North America, the common name soft rush also refers to '' Juncus interior''. Distribution ' ...

'') *

Afforestation Afforestation is the establishment of a forest or stand of trees (forestation) in an area where there was no previous tree cover. Many government and non-governmental organizations directly engage in afforestation programs to create forests a ...

Management

Natural England Guidance advocates an average grass height of for rush during April and May, increasing to in June to October, a quarter of the sward no more than for grass and for rushes - a diverse sward of shorter areas interspersed by taller tussocks. Areas of dense litter are beneficial to over-wintering insects and small mammals, but should be less than 25% of the total area in October.

Protection

In the UK there are a number of initiatives to help prevent deterioration and to restore these sites. These include designation as

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

, national nature reserves, voluntary entry into the Environmental Stewardship Scheme by landowners, or work by voluntary conservation organisations such as the

Devon Wildlife Trust The Devon Wildlife Trust is a member of The Wildlife Trusts partnership covering the county of Devon, England. It is a registered charity, established in 1962 as the Devon Naturalists Trust, and its aim is to safeguard the future of the county's ...

. The largest area of Culm grassland in Devon is Hare's Down, Knowstone & Rackenford Moors near Rackenford and is owned by Devon Wildlife Trust. Their management regime includes

controlled burn A controlled or prescribed burn, also known as hazard reduction burning, backfire, swailing, or a burn-off, is a fire set intentionally for purposes of forest management, farming, prairie restoration or greenhouse gas abatement. A control ...

ing in winter and light grazing by cattle in the summer. The aim is to control the amounts of scrub and bracken without removing them completely.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Magic
mapping system showing purple moor grass and rush pasture locations in the UK Landforms Land management

Purple moor and rush pasture Purple is any of a variety of colors with hue between red and blue. In the RGB color model used in computer and television screens, purples are produced by mixing red and blue light. In the RYB color model historically used by painters, pur ...

Grasslands