__NOTOC__ NVC community CG5 (''Bromus erectus - Brachypodium pinnatum'' grassland) is one of the calcicolous grassland

communities A community is a Level of analysis, social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place (geography), place, set of Norm (social), norms, culture, religion, values, Convention (norm), customs, or Ide ...

in the

British National Vegetation Classification __NOTOC__ The British National Vegetation Classification or NVC is a system of classifying natural habitat types in Great Britain according to the vegetation they contain. A large scientific meeting of ecologists, botanists, and other related ...

system. It is one of four communities of rank, tussocky grassland associated with low levels of grazing, within the lowland calcicolous grassland group. It is a comparatively widely distributed community. There are two subcommunities.

Community composition

The following constant species are found in this community: * Tor Grass (''Brachypodium pinnatum'') *

Quaking Grass ''Briza'' is a genus of annual and perennial plants in the grass family, native to northern temperate regions of Eurasia, North Africa, and certain islands in the Atlantic. The group is generally referred to as the quaking grasses because the ...

(''Briza media'') *

Upright Brome ''Bromus erectus'', commonly known as erect brome, upright brome or meadow brome, is a dense, course, tufted perennial grass. It can grow to . Like many brome grasses the plant is hairy. The specific epithet ''erectus'' is Latin, meaning "erect". ...

(''Bromus erectus'') * Glaucous Sedge (''Carex flacca'') * Dwarf Thistle (''Cirsium acaule'') *

Sheep's Fescue ''Festuca ovina'', sheep's fescue or sheep fescue, is a species of grass. It is sometimes confused with hard fescue (''Festuca trachyphylla''). General description It is a perennial plant sometimes found in acidic ground, and in mountain pastur ...

(''Festuca ovina'') *

Common Rock-rose ''Helianthemum nummularium'' (known as common rock-rose) is a species of rock-rose (Cistaceae), native to most of Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is borde ...

(''Helianthemum nummularium'') * Mouse-ear Hawkweed (''Hieracium pilosella'') *

Rough Hawkbit ''Leontodon hispidus'' is a species of hawkbit known by the common names bristly hawkbit and rough hawkbit. It is native to Europe but can be found throughout North America as an introduced species An introduced species, alien species, exoti ...

(''Leontodon hispidus'') *

Bird's-foot Trefoil ''Lotus corniculatus'' is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae. Common names include common bird's-foot trefoil, eggs and bacon, birdsfoot deervetch, and just bird's-foot trefoil (a name also often applied to other ''Lotus'' spp.). It ha ...

(''Lotus corniculatus'') *

Salad Burnet ''Sanguisorba minor'', the salad burnet, garden burnet, small burnet, burnet (also used for ''Sanguisorba'' generally), :wiktionary:pimprenelle, pimpernelle, Toper's plant, and burnet-bloodwort, is an edible perennial plant, perennial herbaceou ...

(''Sanguisorba minor'') *

Wild Thyme ''Thymus serpyllum'', known by the common names of Breckland thyme, Breckland wild thyme, wild thyme, creeping thyme, or elfin thyme, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is a low, usually prostrate subshrub formin ...

(''Thymus praecox'') The following

rare species A rare species is a group of organisms that are very uncommon, scarce, or infrequently encountered. This designation may be applied to either a plant or animal taxon, and is distinct from the term ''endangered species, endangered'' or ''threatened ...

are also associated with the community: *

Man Orchid ''Orchis anthropophora'' (formerly ''Aceras anthropophorum''), the man orchid, is a European species of orchid whose flowers resemble a human figure. The head is formed by the petals and sepals, and the suspended torso and limbs by the lobes of t ...

(''Aceras anthropophorum'') * Purple Milk-vetch (''Astragalus danicus'') * Rare Spring-sedge (''Carex ericetorum'') *

Slender Bedstraw ''Galium pumilum'', the slender bedstraw or small bedstraw, is a plant species of the genus '' Galium''. References pumilum Flora of Europe Plants described in 1770 Taxa named by Johan Andreas Murray {{galium-stub ...

(''Galium pumilum'') *

Musk Orchid ''Herminium monorchis'', the musk orchid, is a commonly occurring species of orchid. It is widespread across much of Europe and northern Asia from France to Japan, including China, Siberia, Mongolia, Ukraine, Germany, Italy, Scandinavia, etc. I ...

(''Herminium monorchis'') *

Round-headed Rampion Phyteuma orbiculare, common name round-headed rampion or Pride of Sussex, is a herbaceous perennial plant of the genus '' Phyteuma'' belonging to the family Campanulaceae. Description ''Phyteuma orbiculare'' reaches on average of height. A dee ...

(''Phyteuma tenerum'') *

Chalk Milkwort ''Polygala calcarea'', the chalk milkwort, is a species of flowering plant in the family (biology), family Polygalaceae, native plant, native to western Europe. It is a delicate mat-forming evergreen perennial plant, perennial growing to tall by ...

(''Polygala calcarea'') *

Pasqueflower The genus ''Pulsatilla'' contains about 40 species of herbaceous perennial plants native to meadows and prairies of North America, Europe, and Asia. Common names include pasque flower (or pasqueflower), wind flower, prairie crocus, Easter flower, ...

(''Pulsatilla vulgaris'') * Bastard-toadflax (''Thesium humifusum'') *

Large Thyme ''Thymus pulegioides'', common names broad-leaved thyme or lemon thyme, is a species of flowering plant in the family (biology), family Lamiaceae, native plant, native to Europe. Growing to tall by wide, it is a small spreading subshrub with st ...

(''Thymus pulegioides'')

Distribution

This community isg found in lowland limestone grassland throughout

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. One noted example occurs at Barnsley Warren in

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

, and within it are 30,000 Pasqueflowers (''Pulsatilla vulgaris''), Britain's largest colony.Rodwell, J. S. (editor) 1992, ''

British Plant Communities ''British Plant Communities'' is a five-volume work, edited by John S. Rodwell and published by Cambridge University Press, which describes the plant communities which comprise the British National Vegetation Classification. Its coverage incl ...

'' volume 3, page 182

Subcommunities

There are four subcommunities: * the so-called typical subcommunity: * the ''Hieracium'' spp. subcommunity

References

* Rodwell, J. S. (1992) '' British Plant Communities Volume 3 - Grasslands and montane communities'' (hardback), (paperback) {{NVC-CG CG05