Mires in the British National Vegetation Classification system

This article gives an overview of the mire communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system.

Introduction

The mire communities of the NVC were described in Volume 2 of British Plant Communities, first published in 1991, along with the heath communities.

In total, 38 mire communities have been identified.

The mire communities consist of a number of separate subgroups.

• five bog plane communities (M17, M18, M19, M20 and M21)
• two wet heath communities (M15 and M16)
• four bog-pool communities (M1, M2, M3 and M4)
• four base-poor small sedge & rush communities (M5, M6, M7 and M8)
• six base-poor small sedge & Schoenus communities (M9, M10, M11, M12, M13 and M14)
• seven fen-meadow / rush-pasture communities (M22, M23, M24, M26, M25, M27 and M28)
• two soakaway communities (M29 and M30)
• eight communities of springs and rills (M31, M32, M33, M34, M35, M36, M37 and M38)

List of mire communities

The following is a list of the communities that make up this category:

• M1 Sphagnum auriculatum bog pool community

• M2 Sphagnum cuspidatum/recurvum bog pool community

• M3 Eriophorum angustifolium bog pool community

• M4 Carex rostrata - Sphagnum recurvum mire

• M5 Carex rostrata - Sphagnum squarrosum mire

• M6 Carex echinata - Sphagnum recurva/auriculatum mire

• M7 Carex curta - Sphagnum russowii mire

• M8 Carex rostrata - Sphagnum warnstorfii mire

• M9 Carex rostrata - Calligeron cuspidatum/giganteum mire

• M10 Carex dioica - Pinguicula vulgaris mire Pinguiculo-Caricetum dioicae Jones 1973 emend.

• M11 Carex demissa - Saxifraga aizoides mire Carici-Saxifragetum aizoidis McVean & Ratcliffe 1962 emend.

• M12 Carex saxatilis mire Caricetum saxatilis McVean & Ratcliffe 1962

• M13 Schoenus nigricans - Juncus subnodulosus mire Schoenetum nigricantis Koch 1926

• M14 Schoneus nigricans - Narthecium ossifragum mire

• M15 Scirpus cespitosus - Erica tetralix wet heath

• M16 Erica tetralix - Sphagnum compactum wet heath Ericetum tetralicis Schwickerath 1933

• M17 Scirpus cespitosus - Eriophorum vaginatum blanket mire

• M18 Erica tetralix - Sphagnum papillosum raised and blanket mire

• M19 Calluna vulgaris - Eriophorum vaginatum blanket mire

• M20 Eriophorum vaginatum raised and blanket mire

• M21 Narthecium ossifragum - Sphagnum papillosum valley mire Narthecio-Sphagnetum euatlanticum Duvigneaud 1949

• M22 Juncus subnodulosus - Cirsium palustre fen-meadow

• M23 Juncus effusus/acutiflorus - Galium palustre rush-pasture

• M24 Molinia caerulea - Cirsium dissectum fen-meadow Cirsium-Molinietum caeruleae Sissingh & De Vries 1942 emend.

• M25 Molinia caerulea - Potentilla erecta mire

• M26 Molinia caerulea - Crepis paludosa mire

• M27 Filipendula ulmaria - Angelica sylvestris mire

• M28 Iris pseudacorus - Filipendula ulmaria mire Filipendulo-Iridetum pseudacori Adam 1976 emend.

• M29 Hypericum elodes - Potamogeton polygonifolius soakway Hyperico-Potametum polygonifolii (Allorge 1921) Braun-Blanquet & Tüxen 1952

• M30 Related vegetation of seasonally-inundated habitats Hydrocotyla-Baldellion Tüxen & Dierssen 1972

• M31 Anthelia judacea - Sphagnum auriculatum spring Sphagno auriculati-Anthelietum judaceae Shimwell 1972

• M32 Philonotis fontana - Saxifraga stellaris spring Philonoto-Saxifragetum stellaris Nordhagen 1943

• M33 Pohlia wahlenbergii var. glacialis spring Pohlietum glacialis McVean & Ratcliffe 1962

• M34 Carex demissa - Koenigia islandica flush

• M35 Ranunculus omiophyllus - Montia fontana rill

• M36 Lowland springs and streambanks of shaded situations Cardaminion (Maas 1959) Westhoff & den Held 1969

• M37 Cratoneuron commutatum - Festuca rubra spring

• M38 Cratoneuron commutatum - Carex nigra spring

The British National Vegetation Classification Volume 1 Woodlands and scrub W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6 W7 W8 W9 W10 W11 W12 W13 W14 W15 W16 W17 W18 W19 W20 W21 W22 W23 W24 W25 Volume 2 Mires M1 M2 M3 M4 M5 M6 M7 M8 M9 M10 M11 M12 M13 M14 M15 M16 M17 M18 M19 M20 M21 M22 M23 M24 M25 M26 M27 M28 M29 M30 M31 M32 M33 M34 M35 M36 M37 M38 Heaths H1 H2 H3 H4 H5 H6 H7 H8 H9 H10 H11 H12 H13 H14 H15 H16 H17 H18 H19 H20 H21 H22 Volume 3 Mesotrophic grasslands MG1 MG2 MG3 MG4 MG5 MG6 MG7 MG8 MG9 MG10 MG11 MG12 MG13 Calcicolous grasslands CG1 CG2 CG3 CG4 CG5 CG6 CG7 CG8 CG9 CG10 CG11 CG12 CG13 CG14 Calcifugous grasslands and montane communities U1 U2 U3 U4 U5 U6 U7 U8 U9 U10 U11 U12 U13 U14 U15 U16 U17 U18 U19 U20 U21 Volume 4 Aquatic communities A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 A6 A7 A8 A9 A10 A11 A12 A13 A14 A15 A16 A17 A18 A19 A20 A21 A22 A23 A24 Swamps and tall-herb fens S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17 S18 S19 S20 S21 S22 S23 S24 S25 S26 S27 S28 Volume 5 Salt-marshes SM1 SM2 SM3 SM4 SM5 SM6 SM7 SM8 SM9 SM10 SM11 SM12 SM13 SM14 SM15 SM16 SM17 SM18 SM19 SM20 SM21 SM22 SM23 SM24 SM25 SM26 SM27 SM28 Shingle, strandline and sand-dunes SD1 SD2 SD3 SD4 SD5 SD6 SD7 SD8 SD9 SD10 SD11 SD12 SD13 SD14 SD15 SD16 SD17 SD18 SD19 Maritime cliff communities MC1 MC2 MC3 MC4 MC5 MC6 MC7 MC8 MC9 MC10 MC11 MC12 Vegetation of open habitats OV1 OV2 OV3 OV4 OV5 OV6 OV7 OV8 OV9 OV10 OV11 OV12 OV13 OV14 OV15 OV16 OV17 OV18 OV19 OV20 OV21 OV22 OV23 OV24 OV25 OV26 OV27 OV28 OV29 OV30 OV31 OV32 OV33 OV34 OV35 OV36 OV37 OV38 OV39 OV40 OV41 OV42 Full list of communities British Plant Communities List of constant species List of rare species

References

National Vegetation Classification field guide to mires and heaths by Joint Nature Conservation Committee http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/pdf/mires_heaths.pdf