British NVC community MG5 (Cynosurus cristatus

Cynosurus cristatus

-Introduction:Crested Dog’s-tail is an ornamental plant, but also found in the wild typically in species rich grassland. It is a perennial short-lived plant characterised by a seed head that is flat on one side. It thrives in a variety of soil types but avoids the acid and calcerous extremes of...

 - Centaurea nigra

Centaurea nigra

Centaurea nigra is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common names Lesser Knapweed, Common Knapweed and Black Knapweed...

 grassland) is one of the mesotrophic grassland

Mesotrophic grasslands in the British National Vegetation Classification system

This article gives an overview of the mesotrophic grassland communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system.-Introduction:The mesotrophic 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. It is one of four such communities associated with well-drained permanent pastures and meadows.

This community is widely distributed community though common only in certain regions. There are three subcommunities.

This type of plant community was described in 1952 as Centaureo-Cynosuretum cristati Br.-Bl. & Tx..

Community composition

The following constant species are found in this community:

• Common Bent (Agrostis
  Agrostis
  Agrostis is a genus of over 100 species belonging to the grass family Poaceae, commonly referred to as the bent grasses...
  
   capillaris)
• Sweet Vernal-grass (Anthoxanthum odoratum)
• Black Knapweed (Centaurea
  Centaurea
  Centaurea is a genus of between 350 and 600 species of herbaceous thistle-like flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Members of the genus are found only north of the equator, mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere; the Middle East and surrounding regions are particularly species-rich...
  
   nigra)
• Crested Dog's-tail (Cynosurus cristatus)
• Cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata)
• Red Fescue (Festuca rubra)
• Yorkshire-fog (Holcus lanatus)
• Common Bird's-foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)
• Ribwort Plantain (Plantago lanceolata)
• Red Clover
  Red clover
  Trifolium pratense is a species of clover, native to Europe, Western Asia and northwest Africa, but planted and naturalised in many other regions....
  
   (Trifolium pratense)
• White Clover
  White clover
  Trifolium repens, the white clover , is a species of clover native to Europe, North Africa, and West Asia...
  
   (Trifolium repens)

One rare species, Tuberous Thistle (Cirsium tuberosum), is associated with this community.

Distribution

This community is widespread in lowland areas in England, Wales and Scotland, but its abundance varies between regions. It is uncommon in southern England and East Anglia, for instance, but strong concentrations occur in the Midlands and Yorkshire.

Subcommunities

There are three subcommunities:

• the Lathyrus pratensis subcommunity
• the Galium verum subcommunity
• the Danthonia decumbens subcommunity