Mires in the British National Vegetation Classification system

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This article gives an overview of the mire communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system.

[edit] Introduction

The mire communities of the NVC were described in Volume 2 of British Plant Communities, first published in 1991, along with the heath communities.

In total, 38 mire communities have been identified.

The mire communities consist of a number of separate subgroups.

• five bog plane communities (M17, M18, M19, M20 and M21)
• two wet heath communities (M15 and M16)
• four bog-pool communities (M1, M2, M3 and M4)
• four base-poor small sedge & rush communities (M5, M6, M7 and M8)
• six base-poor small sedge & Schoenus communities (M9, M10, M11, M12, M13 and M14)
• seven fen-meadow / rush-pasture communities (M22, M23, M24, M26, M25, M27 and M28)
• two soakaway communities (M29 and M30)
• eight communities of springs and rills (M31, M32, M33, M34, M35, M36, M37 and M38)

[edit] List of mire communities

The following is a list of the communities that make up this category:

• M1 Sphagnum auriculatum bog pool community

• M2 Sphagnum cuspidatum/recurvum bog pool community

• M3 Eriophorum angustifolium bog pool community

• M4 Carex rostrata - Sphagnum recurvum mire

• M5 Carex rostrata - Sphagnum squarrosum mire

• M6 Carex echinata - Sphagnum recurva/auriculatum mire

• M7 Carex curta - Sphagnum russowii mire

• M8 Carex rostrata - Sphagnum warnstorfii mire

• M9 Carex rostrata - Calligeron cuspidatum/giganteum mire

• M10 Carex dioica - Pinguicula vulgaris mire Pinguiculo-Caricetum dioicae Jones 1973 emend.

• M11 Carex demissa - Saxifraga aizoides mire Carici-Saxifragetum aizoidis McVean & Ratcliffe 1962 emend.

• M12 Carex saxatilis mire Caricetum saxatilis McVean & Ratcliffe 1962

• M13 Schoenus nigricans - Juncus subnodulosus mire Schoenetum nigricantis Koch 1926

• M14 Schoneus nigricans - Narthecium ossifragum mire

• M15 Scirpus cespitosus - Erica tetralix wet heath

• M16 Erica tetralix - Sphagnum compactum wet heath Ericetum tetralicis Schwickerath 1933

• M17 Scirpus cespitosus - Eriophorum vaginatum blanket mire

• M18 Erica tetralix - Sphagnum papillosum raised and blanket mire

• M19 Calluna vulgaris - Eriophorum vaginatum blanket mire

• M20 Eriophorum vaginatum raised and blanket mire

• M21 Narthecium ossifragum - Sphagnum papillosum valley mire Narthecio-Sphagnetum euatlanticum Duvigneaud 1949

• M22 Juncus subnodulosus - Cirsium palustre fen-meadow

• M23 Juncus effusus/acutiflorus - Galium palustre rush-pasture

• M24 Molinia caerulea - Cirsium dissectum fen-meadow Cirsium-Molinietum caeruleae Sissingh & De Vries 1942 emend.

• M25 Molinia caerulea - Potentilla erecta mire

• M26 Molinia caerulea - Crepis paludosa mire

• M27 Filipendula ulmaria - Angelica sylvestris mire

• M28 Iris pseudacorus - Filipendula ulmaria mire Filipendulo-Iridetum pseudacori Adam 1976 emend.

• M29 Hypericum elodes - Potamogeton polygonifolius soakway Hyperico-Potametum polygonifolii (Allorge 1921) Braun-Blanquet & Tüxen 1952

• M30 Related vegetation of seasonally-inundated habitats Hydrocotyla-Baldellion Tüxen & Dierssen 1972

• M31 Anthelia judacea - Sphagnum auriculatum spring Sphagno auriculati-Anthelietum judaceae Shimwell 1972

• M32 Philonotis fontana - Saxifraga stellaris spring Philonoto-Saxifragetum stellaris Nordhagen 1943

• M33 Pohlia wahlenbergii var. glacialis spring Pohlietum glacialis McVean & Ratcliffe 1962

• M34 Carex demissa - Koenigia islandica flush

• M35 Ranunculus omiophyllus - Montia fontana rill

• M36 Lowland springs and streambanks of shaded situations Cardaminion (Maas 1959) Westhoff & den Held 1969

• M37 Cratoneuron commutatum - Festuca rubra spring

• M38 Cratoneuron commutatum - Carex nigra spring