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Mesotrophic grasslands in the British National Vegetation Classification system

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The mesotrophic grassland communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system 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:

  • 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

    • References

    Mesotrophic grasslands in the British National Vegetation Classification system Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA