Mesotrophic grasslands in the British National Vegetation Classification system
This article gives an overview of the mesotrophic grassland communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system.
Introduction
The mesotrophic grassland communities of the NVC were described in Volume 3 of British Plant Communities, first published in 1992, along with the calcicolous grassland communities and the calcifugous grasslands and montane communities.
In total, 13 mesotrophic grassland communities have been identified.
The mesotrophic grassland communities consist of:
- two communities in which False Oat-grass is the characteristic grass species (one of these, community MG1, is widespread throughout Britain; the other, MG2, is confined to northern England).
- four communities of well-drained permanent pastures and meadows, two of which (MG5 and MG6) are widespread and the other two (MG3 and MG4) more localised
- a single community (MG7) covering a variety of widespread types of Perennial Rye-grass long-term ley
- three widespread communities associated with poorly drained permanent pastures (MG8, MG9, MG10)
- three grass-dominated inundation communities, one of which, MG13, is widespread, the other two, MG11 and MG12, more localised
List of mesotrophic grassland communities
The following is a list of the communities that make up this category:
- MG1 Arrhenatherum elatius grassland Arrhenatheretum elatioris Br.-Bl. 1919
- MG2 Arrhenatherum elatius - Filipendula ulmaria tall-herb grassland Filipendulo-Arrhenatheretum elatioris Shimwell 1968a
- MG3 Anthoxanthum odoratum - Geranium sylvaticum grassland
- MG4 Alopecurus pratensis - Sanguisorba officinalis grassland
- MG5 Cynosurus cristatus - Centaurea nigra grassland Centaureo-Cynosuretum cristati Br.-Bl. & Tx 1952
- MG6 Lolium perenne - Cynosurus cristatus grassland Lolio-Cynosuretum cristati (Br.-Bl. & De Leeuw 1936) R. Tx 1937
- MG7 Lolium perenne leys and related grasslands Lolio-Plantaginion Sissingh 1969 p.p.
- MG8 Cynosurus cristatus - Caltha palustris grassland
- MG9 Holcus lanatus - Deschampsia cespitosa grassland
- MG10 Holcus lanatus - Juncus effusus rush-pasture Holco-Juncetum effusi Page 1980
- MG11 Festuca rubra - Agrostis stolonifera - Potentilla anserina grassland
- MG12 Festuca arundinacea grassland Potentillo-Festucetum arundinaceae Nordhagen 1940
- MG13 Agrostis stolonifera - Alopecurus geniculatus grassland
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