Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- Preface and Acknowledgements
- Preamble
- Salt-marsh communities
- COMMUNITY DESCRIPTIONS
- Shingle, strandline and sand-dune communities
- COMMUNITY DESCRIPTIONS
- Maritime cliff communities
- COMMUNITY DESCRIPTIONS
- MC1: Crithmum maritimum-Spergularia rupicola maritime rock-crevice community: Crithmo-Spergularietum rupicolae Géhu 1964
- MC2: Armeria maritima-Ligusticum scoticum maritime rock-crevice community
- MC3: Rhodiola rosea-Armeria maritima maritime cliff-ledge community
- MC4: Brassica oleracea maritime cliff-ledge community
- MC5: Armeria maritima-Cerastium diffusum ssp. diffusum maritime therophyte community
- MC6: Atriplex prostrata-Beta vulgaris ssp. maritima sea-bird cliff community: Atriplici-Betetum maritimae J.-M. & J. Géhu 1969
- MC7: Stellaria media-Rumex acetosa sea-bird cliff community
- MC8: Festuca rubra-Armeria maritima maritime grassland
- MC9: Festuca rubra-Holcus lanatus maritime grassland
- MC10: Festuca rubra-Plantago spp. maritime grassland
- MC11: Festuca rubra-Daucus carota ssp. gummifer maritime grassland
- MC12: Festuca rubra-Hyacinthoides non-scripta maritime bluebell community
- Vegetation of open habitats
- COMMUNITY DESCRIPTIONS
- INDEX OF SYNONYMS TO MARITIME COMMUNITIES AND VEGETATION OF OPEN HABITATS
- INDEX OF SPECIES IN MARITIME COMMUNITIES AND VEGETATION OF OPEN HABITATS
- BIBLIOGRAPHY
- PHYTOSOCIOLOGICAL CONSPECTUS OF BRITISH PLANT COMMUNITIES
MC8: Festuca rubra-Armeria maritima maritime grassland
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 September 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- Preface and Acknowledgements
- Preamble
- Salt-marsh communities
- COMMUNITY DESCRIPTIONS
- Shingle, strandline and sand-dune communities
- COMMUNITY DESCRIPTIONS
- Maritime cliff communities
- COMMUNITY DESCRIPTIONS
- MC1: Crithmum maritimum-Spergularia rupicola maritime rock-crevice community: Crithmo-Spergularietum rupicolae Géhu 1964
- MC2: Armeria maritima-Ligusticum scoticum maritime rock-crevice community
- MC3: Rhodiola rosea-Armeria maritima maritime cliff-ledge community
- MC4: Brassica oleracea maritime cliff-ledge community
- MC5: Armeria maritima-Cerastium diffusum ssp. diffusum maritime therophyte community
- MC6: Atriplex prostrata-Beta vulgaris ssp. maritima sea-bird cliff community: Atriplici-Betetum maritimae J.-M. & J. Géhu 1969
- MC7: Stellaria media-Rumex acetosa sea-bird cliff community
- MC8: Festuca rubra-Armeria maritima maritime grassland
- MC9: Festuca rubra-Holcus lanatus maritime grassland
- MC10: Festuca rubra-Plantago spp. maritime grassland
- MC11: Festuca rubra-Daucus carota ssp. gummifer maritime grassland
- MC12: Festuca rubra-Hyacinthoides non-scripta maritime bluebell community
- Vegetation of open habitats
- COMMUNITY DESCRIPTIONS
- INDEX OF SYNONYMS TO MARITIME COMMUNITIES AND VEGETATION OF OPEN HABITATS
- INDEX OF SPECIES IN MARITIME COMMUNITIES AND VEGETATION OF OPEN HABITATS
- BIBLIOGRAPHY
- PHYTOSOCIOLOGICAL CONSPECTUS OF BRITISH PLANT COMMUNITIES
Summary
Synonymy
Festuca rubra community McLean 1935; Festucetum rubrae Gillham 1953; Armerietum Goodman & Gillham 1954, McVean 1961; Sileno maritimae-Festucetum pruinosae R. Tx. 1963 p.p., Armerieto maritimae-Daucetum gummiferi Géhu 1964 p.p., Festuco-Armerietum rupestris Malloch 1971.
Constant species
Festuca rubra, Armeria maritima.
Rare species
Asparagus officinalis ssp. prostratus, Astragalus danicus, Brassica oleracea, Carpobrotus edulis, Parapholis incurva, Scilla verna, Senecio integrifolius spp. maritimus, Silene nutans, Trifolium occidentale.
Physiognomy
The Festuca rubra-Armeria maritima community is a grassland with a generally closed sward, usually dominated by F. rubra which often forms a thick mattress. A. maritima may be abundant as scattered bulky cushions but it is not usually a dominant species. Frequent throughout the community are Agrostis stolonifera, Plantago maritima, Daucus carota ssp. gummifer and Silene vulgar is ssp. maritima. Bryophytes are generally sparse.
Sub-communities
Typical sub-community: Festuca rubra community McLean 1935; Coastal Armerietum Goodman & Gillham 1954 p.p.; Hirta mixed grassland p.p. & Rona Armerietum McVean 1961; Festuco-Armerietum rupestris, typical sub-association Malloch 1971. In this rather species-poor sub-community, F. rubra is over whelmingly dominant as a mattress which may attain a thickness of 40 cm. There are scattered cushions of Armeria maritima but Agrostis stolonifera is the only other species that is at all frequent. No species is preferential here but the prostrate maritime form of Asparagus officinalis is a notable rarity. Bryophytes are rarely able to find a place in the thick turf.
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- British Plant Communities , pp. 286 - 292Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2000