British NVC community CG2

NVC community CG2 (Festuca ovina - Avenula pratensis grassland) is one of the calcicolous grassland communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system. It is one of three short-sward communities associated with heavy grazing, within the lowland calcicolous grassland group, and is regarded as "typical" chalk grassland.

It is a comparatively widely distributed community. There are four subcommunities.

Community composition

The following constant species are found in this community:

• Meadow Oat-grass (Avenula pratensis)
• Quaking-grass (Briza media)
• Glaucous Sedge (Carex flacca)
• Sheep's Fescue (Festuca ovina)
• Mouse-ear Hawkweed (Hieracium pilosella)
• Crested Hair-grass (Koeleria macrantha)
• Rough Hawkbit (Leontodon hispidus)
• Fairy Flax (Linum catharticum)
• Bird's-foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)
• Ribwort Plantain (Plantago lanceolata)
• Salad Burnet (Sanguisorba minor)
• Small Scabious (Scabiosa columbaria)
• Wild Thyme (Thymus praecox)

The following rare species are also associated with the community:

• Man Orchid (Aceras anthropophorum)
• Ground-pine (Ajuga chamaepitys)
• Purple Milk-vetch (Astragalus danicus)
• Great Pignut (Bunium bulbocastanum)
• Rare Spring Sedge (Carex ericetorum)
• Dwarf Sedge (Carex humilis)
• Soft-leaved Sedge (Carex montana)
• Dwarf Mouse-ear (Cerastium pumilum)
• Tuberous Thistle (Cirsium tuberosum)
• Chalk Eyebright (Euphrasia pseudokerneri)
• Slender Bedstraw (Galium pumilum)
• Limestone Bedstraw (Galium sterneri)
• Early Gentian (Gentianella anglica)
• Chiltern Gentian (Gentianella germanica)
• Musk Orchid (Herminium monorchis)
• Spotted Cat's-ear (Hypochaeris maculata)
• Wild Candytuft (Iberis amara)
• Perennial Flax (Linum perenne subsp. anglicum)
• Late Spider-orchid (Ophrys fuciflora)
• Early Spider-orchid (Ophrys sphegodes)
• Monkey Orchid (Orchis simia)
• Burnt Orchid (Orchis ustulata)
• Broomrape (Orobanche picridis)
• Round-headed Rampion (Phyteuma tenerum)
• Dwarf Milkwort (Polygala amara)
• Chalk Milkwort (Polygala calcarea)
• Pasqueflower (Pulsatilla vulgaris)
• Meadow Clary (Salvia pratensis)
• Field Fleawort (Senecio integrifolius ssp. integrifolius)
• Moon Carrot (Seseli libanotis)
• Nottingham Catchfly (Silene nutans)
• Autumn Ladies'-tresses (Spiranthes spiralis)
• Cut-leaved Germander (Teucrium botrys)
• Bastard-toadflax (Thesium humifusum)
• Large Thyme (Thymus pulegioides)
• Spiked Speedwell (Veronica spicata)

Distribution

This community is found in lowland limestone grassland throughout England and Wales.

Subcommunities

There are four subcommunities, one of which is subdivided into three variants:

• the Cirsium acaule - Asperula cynanchica subcommunity, subdivided into:
  • a typical variant
  • a Filipendula vulgaris - Helinathemum nummularium variant
  • a Pseudoscleropodium purum - Prunella vulgaris variant
• the Succisa pratensis - Leucanthemum vulgare subcommunity
• the Holcus lanatus - Trifolium repens subcommunity
• the Dicranum scoparium subcommunity

References

• Rodwell, J. S. (1992) British Plant Communities Volume 3 - Grasslands and montane communities ISBN 0-521-39166-0 (hardback), ISBN 0-521-62719-2 (paperback)