Calcicolous grasslands in the British National Vegetation Classification system


The calcicolous grassland communities of the British National Vegetation Classification system were described in Volume 3 of British Plant Communities, first published in 1992, along with the mesotrophic grassland communities and the calcifugous grasslands and montane communities.

History

In total, 14 calcicolous grassland communities have been identified.
All but two of the calcicolous grassland communities fall into two broad groups:
  • seven communities which group loosely together under an umbrella of "chalk grassland" and which are found on calcareous soils in the comparatively dry climatic conditions of the lowlands of southern and eastern England.
  • five upland calcicole communities, distributed in areas of wetter climate through the uplands of Wales, northern England and Scotland.
The lowlands group comprises two subgroups:
  • three short-sward communities associated with heavy grazing: a widespread community that is regarded as "typical" chalk grassland, though it also occurs widely on limestone, and its "south-west coastal" and "eastern" counterparts
  • four communities of rank, tussocky grassland associated with low levels of grazing
The upland group comprises the following subgroups:
  • a widespread short-sward community associated with heavy grazing, CG10
  • two localised communities characterised by the presence of Alpine Lady's-mantle, CG11 and CG12
  • two localised communities characterised by the presence of Mountain Avens, CG13 and CG14
The remaining two communities are characterised by the presence of Blue Moor-grass, both of which are localised in northern England and do not fall neatly into either of the two groups described above.

List of communities

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