British NVC community MG4 (''Alopecurus pratensis - Sanguisorba officinalis'' grassland) is one of the mesotrophic 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 such communities associated with well-drained permanent pastures and meadows. This community, although widespread in the past, now has a scattered distribution in the Midlands and southern England. One rare species

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 ...

is associated with this community: snake's-head fritillary (''Fritillaria meleagris'') and six rare micro-species of dandelion, ''Taraxacum fulgidum'', ''T. haematicum'', ''T. melanthoides'', ''T. sublaeticolor'', ''T. subundulatum'' and ''T. tamesense''. There are four subcommunities. __NOTOC__

Subcommunities

* the ''Dactylis glomerata'' subcommunity The Cock’s-foot sub-community is the most species-rich of the four sub-communities and is generally found where the water table remains low throughout the growing season and flooding is rare. Distinguishing species that are constant include cock’s-foot (''Dactylis glomerata'') and yellow oat-grass (''Trisetum flavescens'').

Meadow foxtail ''Alopecurus pratensis'', known as the meadow foxtail or the field meadow foxtail, is a perennial grass belonging to the grass family (Poaceae). It is native to Europe and Asia. This common plant is found on grasslands, especially on neutral so ...

, (''Alopecurus pratensis'') which is included in the scientific name for the overall community is found only sparsely and patchily in this sub-community. * the ''Typical'' subcommunity The Typical sub-community, as its name implies, describes those stands closest in their species composition to the Burnet floodplain meadow

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

as a whole. However, stands of the Typical sub-community are less species-rich than those of the Cock’s foot sub-community, with on average 22 species per square metre, and there are no strongly preferential species * the ''Holcus lanatus'' subcommunity The Yorkshire fog sub-community has a high cover of grasses such as

meadow foxtail ''Alopecurus pratensis'', known as the meadow foxtail or the field meadow foxtail, is a perennial grass belonging to the grass family (Poaceae). It is native to Europe and Asia. This common plant is found on grasslands, especially on neutral so ...

(''Alopecurus pratensis''), rough-stalked meadow-grass (''Poa trivialis'') and creeping bent (''Agrostis stolonifera''). It tends to be associated with sites which experience a high water table for longer periods during the growing season than the two preceding sub-communities. It is less species-rich than the Cock’s-foot and Typical sub-communities. * the ''Agrostis stolonifera'' subcommunity The Creeping bent sub-community is the most species-poor. It tends to be associated with areas that experience prolonged inundation (which can also lead to higher soil fertility) and is especially characteristic of the

Derwent Ings Derwent Ings is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) divided between North Yorkshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Derwent Ings is of international significance and has been designated a Wetland of International Importance u ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

Community composition

The following constant species are found in this community: *

(''Alopecurus pratensis'') * Common mouse-ear (''Cerastium fontanum'') *

Crested dog's-tail ''Cynosurus cristatus'', the crested dog's-tail, is a short-lived perennial grass in the family Poaceae, characterised by a seed head that is flat on one side. It typically grows in species rich grassland. It thrives in a variety of soil types ...

(''Cynosurus cristatus'') *

Red fescue ''Festuca rubra'' is a species of grass known by the common name red fescue, creeping red fescue or the rush-leaf fescue. It is widespread across much of the Northern Hemisphere and can tolerate many habitats and climates. It is best adapted to w ...

(''Festuca rubra'') * Meadowsweet (''Filipendula ulmaria'') *

Yorkshire-fog ''Holcus lanatus'' is a perennial flowering plant in the grass family Poaceae. The specific epithet ' is Latin for 'woolly' which describes the plant's hairy texture. Common names include Yorkshire fog, tufted grass, and meadow soft grass. In Nor ...

(''Holcus lanatus'') * Meadow vetchling (''Lathyrus pratensis'') * Autumn hawkbit (''Leontodon autumnalis'') * Perennial rye-grass (''Lolium perenne'') *

Ribwort plantain ''Plantago lanceolata'' is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae. It is known by the common names ribwort plantain, narrowleaf plantain, English plantain, ribleaf, lamb's tongue, and buckhorn. It is a common weed on ...

(''Plantago lanceolata'') *

Meadow buttercup ''Ranunculus acris'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, and is one of the more common buttercups across Europe and temperate Eurasia. Common names include meadow buttercup, tall buttercup, common buttercup and giant but ...

(''Ranunculus acris'') * Common sorrel (''Rumex acetosa'') * Great burnet (''Sanguisorba officinalis'') *

Dandelion ''Taraxacum'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, which consists of species commonly known as dandelions. The scientific and hobby study of the genus is known as taraxacology. The genus has a near-cosmopolitan distribu ...

(''Taraxacum officinale'' agg.) *

Red clover ''Trifolium pratense'' (from Latin prātum, meaning meadow), red clover, is a herbaceous plant, herbaceous species of flowering plant in the bean family, Fabaceae. It is native to the Old World, but planted and naturalised in many other regions ...

(''Trifolium pratense'') *

White clover ''Trifolium repens'', the white clover, is a herbaceous perennial plant in the bean family Fabaceae (otherwise known as Leguminosae). It is native to Europe, including the British Isles, and central Asia and is one of the most widely cultivated ...

(''Trifolium repens'')

References

* Rodwell, J. S. (1992) '' British Plant Communities Volume 3 - Grasslands and montane communities'' (hardback), (paperback) * Rothero, E., Lake. S, and Gowing, D. (eds) (2016). ''Floodplain Meadows – Beauty and Utility. A Technical Handbook'' Milton Keynes, Floodplain Meadows Partnership (paperback)

External links

* http://www.floodplainmeadows.org.uk/about-meadows/wildlife/plant-communities {{NVC-MG MG04