NVC community CG10 is one of the calcicolous grassland

Calcicolous grasslands in the British National Vegetation Classification system

This article gives an overview of the calcicolous grassland communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system.-Introduction:The calcicolous grassland communities of the NVC were described in Volume 3 of British Plant Communities, first published in 1992, along with the...

 communities in the British National Vegetation Classification

British National Vegetation Classification

The British National Vegetation Classification or NVC is a system of classifying natural habitat types in Great Britain according to the vegetation they contain....

 system. Of the upland group of calcicolous grasslands, it is the only one with a short sward associated with heavy grazing.

It is a comparatively widely distributed community in the British uplands. There are three subcommunities.

Community composition

The following constant species are found in this community:

• Common Bent (Agrostis capillaris)
• Harebell
  Harebell
  Campanula rotundifolia is a rhizomatous perennial flowering plant in the bellflower family native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.In Scotland, it is often known as the Bluebell...
  
   (Campanula rotundifolia)
• Sheep's Fescue
  Sheep's Fescue
  Sheep's Fescue or Sheep Fescue is a species of grass.-General Description:It is a perennial plant sometimes found in acidic ground, for example in the Portlethen Moss, Scotland and mountain pasture, throughout Europe and eastwards across much of Asia; it has also been introduced to North...
  
   (Festuca ovina)
• Red Fescue (Festuca rubra)
• Ribwort Plantain (Plantago lanceolata)
• Tormentil
  Tormentil
  Common Tormentil is a herbaceous perennial belonging to the rose family , also known as Septfoil or simply as "tormentil" .-Characteristics:It is a low, clumb-forming plant with slender, procumbent...
  
   (Potentilla erecta)
• Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris)
• Wild Thyme
  Wild thyme
  Thymus serpyllum, known by the common names of Breckland Thyme, Wild Thyme or Creeping Thyme is a species of thyme native to most of Europe and North Africa. It is a low, usually prostrate subshrub growing to 2 cm tall with creeping stems up to 10 cm long, with oval evergreen leaves...
  
   (Thymus praecox)
• Common Dog-violet (Viola riviniana)
• Glittering Wood-moss (Hylocomium splendens)

The following rare species are also associated with the community:

• the Lady's-mantle (Alchemilla filicaulis ssp. filicaulis)
• the Lady's-mantle (Alchemilla wichurae)
• Hair Sedge (Carex capillaris)
• Soft-leaved Sedge (Carex montana)
• Rock Sedge (Carex rupestris)
• Hoary Whitlowgrass (Draba incana)
• Limestone Bedstraw (Galium sterneri)
• Spring Sandwort (Minuartia verna)
• Alpine Forget-me-not (Myosotis alpestris)
• Dwarf Cudweed (Omalotheca supina)
• Alpine Pearlwort (Sagina saginoides)
• Dwarf Willow
  Dwarf Willow
  Salix herbacea is a species of tiny creeping willow adapted to survive in harsh Arctic and sub-Arctic environments...
  
   (Salix herbacea)
• Sibbaldia (Sibbaldia procumbens)
• Scottish Asphodel (Tofieldia pusilla)

Distribution

This community is found widely on calcareous

Calcareous

Calcareous is an adjective meaning mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate, in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines.-In zoology:...

 upland sites in Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, northern England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 and Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

.

Subcommunities

There are three subcommunities:

• the Trifolium repens - Luzula campestris subcommunity
• the Carex pulicaris - Carex panicea subcommunity
• the Saxifraga aizoides - Ditrichum flexicaule subcommunity