BRITISH WILD PLANTS IN NATURAL ASSOCIATIONS A database source for landscaping, habitat creation and local planning DATABASE CONTENTS, INTRODUCTION, CLASSIFICATIONS and INDEX NB. The individual community tables and text (see Contents of Main Database below) are available as separate files. Compiled by C J Betts © Christopher Betts ISBN 1 900023 04 0 First published 1998 by Christopher Betts Environmental Biology Monkwood Green Worcester UK Second Edition 2003; further updates 2018,2019 (only available digitally). 1 Dr Christopher Betts, is a Chartered Biologist specialising in environmental biology and ecology. He holds a first class Bachelor of Science Degree with Honours and his PhD was awarded for work in plant community dynamics. He is a Fellow of the British Naturalists’ Association, a Chartered Biologist, and Member of the Royal Society of Biology, the Institution of Environmental Sciences, the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management, and the European Federation of Environmental Professionals. Chris Betts has worked for over fifty years in the environmental field, latterly as Chairman and Director of Science of a Professional Practice involved in a range of activities relating to habitat management, biodiversity promotion, environmental biology and land use. He has been responsible for many schemes of habitat creation, enhancement, management and planting on many sites in different areas in the UK and elsewhere and is a keen plantsman himself. 2 CONTENTS OF THIS DOCUMENT ONLY CONTENTS OF THE MAIN DATABASE ............................................................................................ 4 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 9 Management ......................................................................................................................... 9 Sources of planting material ................................................................................................ 10 Vegetation classification ...................................................................................................... 11 How to use the database ..................................................................................................... 11 Nomenclature ..................................................................................................................... 12 SECOND EDITION – FURTHER REMARKS ................................................................................... 12 EXPLANATION OF COVER CLASSES ........................................................................................... 13 Scale of Conservation Ratings and Ease of Creation/Restoration ........................................ 13 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................ 14 ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE TEXT ........................................................................................... 15 REMINDER: how to review the choice of communities for a site:...................................................... 15 GLOSSARY .................................................................................................................................... 16 REFERENCES and FURTHER READING ....................................................................................... 18 APPENDIX I – HABITAT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEMS .................................................................. 23 APPENDIX II – PRIORITY HABITATS .............................................................................................. 42 SPECIES INDEX OF THE DATABASE ............................................................................................ 43 3 CONTENTS OF THE MAIN DATABASE INTRODUCTION Management Sources of planting material Vegetation classification How to use the database Nomenclature SECOND EDITION – FURTHER REMARKS Explanation of cover classes Scale of Conservation Ratings and Ease of Creation/Restoration Acknowledgements Abbreviations used in the text 1. WOODLAND (INCLUDING THICKETS, SCRUB, ETC.) Overview upland ashwood willow fen carr montane willow scrub lowland ashwood calcicolous beechwood yew wood hawthorn scrub alder fen carr upland oakwood upland pinewood juniper scrub alder woodland oak – bracken woodland acid beechwood acid oakwood gorse scrub bramble scrub birchwood grey willow scrub 2. HEATHLAND Overview heather – Racomitrium heath heather – juniper heath bilberry – Racomitrium heath heather – bilberry – bryophyte heath bilberry – cloudberry heath heather – bilberry heath highland Calluna heath heather – bearberry heath northern alpine heath bilberry – wavy hair-grass heath bilberry – lichen heath dwarf gorse heath western gorse heath Cornish heath spring squill sea cliff heath heather – bell heather heath dune heath heather – sheep’s fescue heath heather – wavy hair-grass heath 4 3. MISCELLANEOUS UPLAND AND SAXICOLOUS COMMUNITIES three-leaved rush community Scottish Highlands stiff sedge – moss carpet bryophyte snowpatch community dwarf willow snowpatch community northern wet cliff-face community subalpine calcifuge tall-herb community great wood-rush – water avens tall-herb community highland fern snowpatch community acidophilous scree community calcareous rock-face community limestone fern scree community wall pellitory community ivy-leaved toadflax saxicolous community 4. GRASSLAND General note on grassland establishment Classification of grassland common bent – sheep’s fescue grassland mat-grass – heath bedstraw grassland heath rush – sheep’s fescue grassland arctic alpine grassland tufted hair-grass snowpatch grassland perennial lowland siliceous grassland wavy hair-grass grassland bristle-leaved bent grassland bracken dominated sheep’s fescue grassland tall meadowsweet – false oat-grass grassland submontane hay meadow false oat-grass grassland alluvial hay meadow traditional lowland hay meadow agricultural permanent pasture agricultural reseeded leys water meadow tufted hair-grass rough grassland Holco-Juncetum rush pasture inundation pasture blue moor-grass calcareous grassland sheep’s fescue – common bent calcareous grassland sheep’s fescue snowpatch calcareous grassland sheep’s fescue – mountain avens calcareous ledge sheep’s fescue – carline thistle calcareous grassland sheep’s fescue – meadow oat-grass calcareous grassland upright brome calcareous grassland tor grass calcareous grassland red fescue – oat-grass calcareous grassland sheep’s fescue open chalk grassland sheep’s fescue – mountain avens calcareous grass heath open grassy vegetation on metalliferous soils 5. SEA CLIFFS rock samphire – rock sea-spurrey crevice community thrift – Scot’s lovage crevice community roseroot – thrift ledge community wild cabbage cliff-ledge community thrift – sea mouse-ear/winter annuals community spear-leaved orache – sea beet community of sea-bird cliffs red fescue sea cliff grassland 5 6. BEACHES AND SAND-DUNES sea sandwort – sea rocket strandline sea mayweed – cleavers strandline sand couch/lyme grass embryonic dune vegetation marram dune-building vegetation marram – red fescue dune grassland red fescue – lady’s bedstraw dune grassland marram – false oat-grass dune grassland sand sedge dune vegetation sea-buckthorn scrub creeping willow dune slacks silverweed – common sedge dune slack shingle beach vegetation 7. FRESHWATER MARSHES AND RELATED VEGETATION Overview bog pools bottle sedge mire star sedge mire dioecious sedge – common butterwort mire common yellow-sedge – yellow saxifrage flush russet sedge mire black bog-rush mire deer-grass bog cross-leaved heath bog heather – bog-moss – cottongrass bog heather – cottongrass blanket mire lowland valley mire blunt-flowered rush fen-meadow Juncus rush-pasture acid/neutral Molinia mire base-rich Molinia mire meadowsweet mire marsh St. John’s-wort – bog pondweed soakway oligotrophic springs, rills and flushes base-rich springs tufted sedge swamp great fen-sedge swamp greater tussock-sedge swamp Phragmites reed-bed reed sweet-grass swamp greater pond-sedge swamp lesser pond-sedge swamp common club-rush swamp bottle sedge swamp water horsetail swamp bladder-sedge swamp Typha swamp branched bur-reed swamp sweet-flag swamp arrowhead swamp cyperus sedge swamp false fox-sedge swamp common spike-rush swamp club-rush swamp floating sweet-grass water margin and related vegetation Phragmites tall-herb fen reed canary-grass tall-herb fen 6 Weedy and pioneer communities of wet and marshy ground: colonising vegetation of unstable/transiently wet ground colonising vegetation of fertile shallows colonising vegetation of bare ground subject to flooding 8. SALT-MARSH (INCLUDING MARINE INTERTIDAL VEGETATION) eelgrass communities beaked tasselweed community dwarf spike-rush community cord-grass community perennial glasswort stands annual glasswort community annual sea-blite community transitional lower salt-marsh community sea aster community common saltmarsh-grass community sea-purslane community sea rush – sea arrowgrass community saltmarsh rush community sea wormwood community sea rush community saltmarsh flat-sedge community slender spike-rush salt-marsh community shrubby sea-blite – rock sea-lavender community sea-purslane – sea-heath community lesser sea-spurrey – reflexed saltmarsh-grass community sea couch community shrubby sea-blite community common couch salt-marsh community golden samphire communities 9. AQUATIC VEGETATION OF OPEN WATER stream water-crowfoot