British NVC community OV25 (Urtica dioica - Cirsium arvense community) is one of the open habitat

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 four tall-herb weed communities.

This community is found throughout lowland Britain.

There are three subcommunities.

Community composition

The following constant species are found in this community:

• Creeping thistle (Cirsium arvense
  Cirsium arvense
  Cirsium arvense is a species of Cirsium, native throughout Europe and northern Asia, and widely introduced elsewhere. The standard English name in its native area is Creeping Thistle.-Alternate names:...
  
  )
• Common nettle (Urtica dioica)

There are no rare species associated with the community.

Distribution

This community is found throughout lowland Britain, on disturbed, nutrient-rich soils, usually where there are patches of bare or lightly covered ground, in which thistles can establish themselves. It is typically found in poorly managed meadows, on abandoned arable land or waste land, on disturbed verges and tracks, and in cleared woodland or young plantations.

Subcommunities

There are three subcommunities:

• the Holcus lanatus - Poa annua subcommunity
• the Rumex obtusifolius - Artemisia vulgaris subcommunity
• the Lolium perenne - Papaver rhoeas subcommunity