British NVC community OV15
Encyclopedia
British NVC community OV15 (Anagallis arvensis - Veronica persica community) is one of the open habitat
communities in the British National Vegetation Classification
system. It is one of two arable weed communities of light lime-rich soils.
It is a widely-distributed community in south-east England, but is found only locally, its distribution being restricted to areas of suitable soils.
There are four subcommunities.
Two rare species are associated with the community:
A distinctive feature of most occurrences of this community is the presence, in mid- to late-summer, of Kickxia
, represented by one or both of K. spuria
and K. elatine
, and Euphorbia exigua.
It is essentially the same as the Kickxietum spuriae assemblage described by Kruseman and Vlieger.
Vegetation of open habitats in the British National Vegetation Classification system
This article gives an overview of the plant communities formed by vegetation of open habitats in the British National Vegetation Classification system.-Introduction:...
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 two arable weed communities of light lime-rich soils.
It is a widely-distributed community in south-east England, but is found only locally, its distribution being restricted to areas of suitable soils.
There are four subcommunities.
Community composition
The following constant species are found in this community:- Scarlet pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis)
- Black-bindweed (Fallopia convolvulus)
- Knotgrass (Polygonum avicularePolygonum avicularePolygonum aviculare or Common Knotgrass is a plant related to buckwheat and dock. It is also called birdweed, pigweed and lowgrass. It is an annual found in fields and wasteland, with white flowers from June to October....
) - Common field-speedwell (Veronica persicaVeronica persicaVeronica persica is a flowering plant native of Eurasia. First recorded in Britain in 1825 and now widespread in the United States, and east Asia .-General description:The seed leaves are broadly triangular cotyledons, with truncated base...
)
Two rare species are associated with the community:
- Ground-pine (Ajuga chamaepitysAjuga chamaepitysAjuga chamaepitys is a species of flowering plant of the family Lamiaceae. Popularly known as Yellow bugle or Ground pine, the plant has many of the same characteristics and properties as Ajuga reptans. A. chamaepitys can be found in Europe, the Eastern part of the Mediterranean, and North...
) - Shepherd's-needle (Scandix pecten-venerisScandix pecten-venerisScandix pecten-veneris is a plant species in the parsley family. It is native to Eurasia and it is known widely elsewhere as an introduced species and sometimes a weed...
)
A distinctive feature of most occurrences of this community is the presence, in mid- to late-summer, of Kickxia
Kickxia
Kickxia is a genus of plants in the figwort family. It includes several species of plants known commonly as cancerworts or fluellins. They are mostly native to Europe, but two species, K. elatine and K. spuria are well-known elsewhere as invasive weeds. Genus Kickxia was named after the Belgian...
, represented by one or both of K. spuria
Kickxia spuria
Kickxia spuria is a species of flowering plant in the figwort family known by several common names, including roundleaf cancerwort and round-leaved fluellin. It is native to Europe and Asia, but it is present on other continents as an introduced species, and sometimes a noxious weed. This is a low...
and K. elatine
Kickxia elatine
Kickxia elatine is a species of flowering plant in the Figwort family known by several common names, including sharpleaf cancerwort and sharp-leaved fluellin. It is native to Europe and Asia, but it is present on other continents as an introduced species, and sometimes a noxious weed. This is a...
, and Euphorbia exigua.
Distribution
This community occurs widely across south-east England, but, being dependent on lime-rich soils, it occurs only locally, typically as a weed community of cereal crops.It is essentially the same as the Kickxietum spuriae assemblage described by Kruseman and Vlieger.
Subcommunities
There are three subcommunities:- the Stellaria media - Convolvulus arvensis subcommunity
- the Legousia hybrida - Chaenorhinum minus subcommunity
- the Agrostis stolonifera - Phascum cuspidatum subcommunity