NVC community SD12 is one of the 16 sand-dune 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 communities associated with fixed dunes.

It is a very localised community. There are two subcommunities.

Community composition

The following constant species are found in this community:

• Common Bent (Agrostis capillaris)
• Marram (Ammophila arenaria)
• Sand Sedge (Carex arenaria)
• Sheep's Fescue
  Sheep's Fescue
  Sheep's Fescue or Sheep Fescue is a species of grass.-General Description:It is a perennial plant sometimes found in acidic ground, for example in the Portlethen Moss, Scotland and mountain pasture, throughout Europe and eastwards across much of Asia; it has also been introduced to North...
  
   (Festuca ovina)
• Smooth Meadow-grass
  Smooth Meadow-grass
  Poa pratensis, commonly known as Kentucky Bluegrass, Smooth Meadow-grass, or Common Meadow-grass, is a perennial species of grass native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa.-General description:...
  
   (Poa pratensis)

The following rare species is also associated with the community:

• Purple Milk-vetch (Astragalus danicus)

Distribution

This community is found in five coastal localities - one in northeast Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, two in southwest Scotland, one in Cumbria

Cumbria

Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...

 and one in Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

.

Subcommunities

There are two subcommunities:

• the Anthoxanthaum odoratum subcommunity
• the Holcus lanatus subcommunity