List of plant communities in the British National Vegetation Classification explained
The following is the list of the 286 plant communities which comprise the British National Vegetation Classification (NVC). These are grouped by major habitat category, as used in the five volumes of British Plant Communities, the standard work describing the NVC.
Woodland and scrub communities
The following 25 communities are described in Volume 1 of British Plant Communities. For an article summarising these communities see Woodland and scrub communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system.
Mires
The following 38 communities are described in Volume 2 of British Plant Communities. For an article summarising these communities see Mires in the British National Vegetation Classification system.
Heaths
The following 22 communities are described in Volume 2 of British Plant Communities. For an article summarising these communities see Heaths in the British National Vegetation Classification system.
Mesotrophic grasslands
The following 13 communities are described in Volume 3 of British Plant Communities. For an article summarising these communities see Mesotrophic grasslands in the British National Vegetation Classification system.
Calcicolous grasslands
The following 14 communities are described in Volume 3 of British Plant Communities. For an article summarising these communities see Calcicolous grasslands in the British National Vegetation Classification system.
Calcifugous grasslands and montane communities
The following 21 communities are described in Volume 3 of British Plant Communities. For an article summarising these communities see Calcifugous grasslands and montane communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system.
- U1 Festuca ovina - Agrostris capillaris - Rumex acetosella grassland
- U2 Deschampsia flexuosa grassland
- U3 Agrostis curtisii grassland
- U4 Festuca ovina - Agrostris capillaris - Galium saxatile grassland
- U5 Nardus stricta - Galium saxatile grassland
- U6 Juncus squarrosus - Festuca ovina grassland
- U7 Nardus stricta - Carex bigelowii grass-heath
- U8 Carex bigelowii - Polytrichum alpinum sedge-heath
- U9 Juncus trifidus - Racomitrium lanuginosum rush-heath
- U10 Carex bigelowii - Racomitrium lanuginosum moss-heath
- U11 Polytrichum sexangulare - Kiaeria starkei snow-bed
- U12 Salix herbacea - Racomitrium heterostichum snow-bed
- U13 Deschampsia cespitosa - Galium saxatile grassland
- U14 Alchemilla alpina - Sibbaldia procumbens dwarf-herb community
- U15 Saxifraga aizoides - Alchemilla glabra banks
- U16 Luzula sylvatica - Vaccinium myrtillus tall-herb community
- U17 Luzula sylvatica - Geum rivale tall-herb community
- U18 Cryptogramma crispa - Athyrium distentifolium snow-bed
- U19 Thelypteris limbosperma - Blechnum spicant community
- U20 Pteridium aquilinum - Galium saxatile community
- U21 Cryptogramma crispa - Deschampsia flexuosa community
Aquatic communities
The following 24 communities are described in Volume 4 of British Plant Communities. For an article summarising these communities see Aquatic communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system.
- A1 Lemna gibba community Lemnetum gibbae Miyawaki & J. Tx. 1960
- A2 Lemna minor community Lemnetum minoris Soó 1947
- A3 Spirodela polyrhiza - Hydrocharis morsus-ranae community
- A4 Hydrocharis morsus-ranae - Stratiotes aloides community
- A5 Ceratophyllum demersum community Certaophylletum demersi Hild 1956
- A6 Ceratophyllum submersum community Certaophylletum submersi Den Hartog & Segal 1964
- A7 Nymphaea alba community Nymphaeetum albae Oberdorfer & Mitarb. 1967
- A8 Nuphar lutea community
- A9 Potamogeton natans community
- A10 Polygonum amphibium community
- A11 Potamogeton pectinatus - Myriophyllum spicatum community
- A12 Potamogeton pectinatus community
- A13 Potamogeton perfoliatus - Myriophyllum alterniflorum community
- A14 Myriophyllum alterniflorum community Myriophylletum alterniflori
- A15 Elodea canadensis community
- A16 Callitriche stagnalis community
- A17 Ranunculus penicillatus ssp. pseudofluitans community
- A18 Ranunculus fluitans community Ranunculetum fluitantis Allorge 1922
- A19 Ranunculus aquatilis community Ranunculetum aquatilis Géhu 1961
- A20 Ranunculus peltatus community Ranunculetum peltati Sauer 1947
- A21 Ranunculus baudotii community Ranunculetum baudotii Br.-Bl. 1952
- A22 Littorella uniflora - Lobelia dortmanna community
- A23 Isoetes lacustris/setacea community
- A24 Juncus bulbosus community
Swamps and tall-herb fens
The following 28 communities are described in Volume 4 of British Plant Communities. For an article summarising these communities see Swamps and tall-herb fens in the British National Vegetation Classification system.
- S1 Carex elata sedge-swamp Caricetum elatae Koch 1926
- S2 Cladium mariscus swamp and sedge-beds Cladietum marisci Zobrist 1933 emend. Pfeiffer 1961
- S3 Carex paniculata swamp Caricetum paniculatae Wangerin 1916
- S4 Phragmites australis swamp and reed-beds Phragmitetum australis (Gams 1927) Schmale 1939
- S5 Glyceria maxima swamp Glycerietum maximae (Nowinski 1928) Hueck 1931 emend. Krausch 1965
- S6 Carex riparia swamp Caricetum ripariae Soó 1928
- S7 Carex acutiformis swamp Caricetum acutiformis Sauer 1937
- S8 Scirpus lacustris ssp. lacustris swamp Scirpetum lacustris (Allorge 1922) Chouard 1924
- S9 Carex rostrata swamp Caricetum rostratae Rübel 1912
- S10 Equisetum fluviatile swamp Equisetetum fluviatile Steffen 1931 emend. Wilczek 1935
- S11 Carex vesicaria swamp Caricetum vesicariae Br.-Bl. & Denis 1926
- S12 Typha latifolia swamp Typhetum latifoliae Soó 1927
- S13 Typha angustifolia swamp Typhetum angustifoliae Soó 1927
- S14 Sparganium erectum swamp Sparganietum erecti Roll 1938
- S15 Acorus calamus swamp Acoretum calami Schulz 1941
- S16 Sagittaria sagittifolia swamp
- S17 Carex pseudocyperus swamp
- S18 Carex otrubae swamp Caricetum otrubae Mirza 1978
- S19 Eleocharis palustris swamp Eleocharitetum palustris Schennikow 1919
- S20 Scirpus lacustris ssp. tabernaemontani swamp Scirpetum tabernaemontani Passarge 1964
- S21 Scirpus maritimus swamp Scirpetum maritimi (Br.-Bl. 1931) R.Tx. 1937
- S22 Glyceria fluitans water-margin vegetation Glycerietum fluitantis Wilczek 1935
- S23 Other water-margin vegetation Glycerio-Sparganion Br.-Bl. & Sissingh apud Boer 1942 emend. Segal
- S24 Phragmites australis - Peucedanum palustre tall-herb fen Peucedano-Phragmitetum australis Wheeler 1978 emend.
- S25 Phragmites australis - Eupatorium cannabinum tall-herb fen
- S26 Phragmites australis - Urtica dioica tall-herb fen
- S27 Carex rostrata - Potentilla palustris tall-herb fen Potentillo-Caricetum rostratae Wheeler 1980a
- S28 Phalaris arundinacea tall-herb fen Phalaridetum arundinaceae Libbert 1931
Salt-marsh communities
The following 28 communities are described in Volume 5 of British Plant Communities. For an article summarising these communities see Salt-marsh communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system.
- SM1 Zostera communities Zosterion Christiansen 1934
- SM2 Ruppia maritima salt-marsh community Ruppietum maritimae Hocquette 1927
- SM3 Eleocharis parvula salt-marsh community Eleocharitetum parvulae (Preuss 1911/12) Gillner 1960
- SM4 Spartina maritima salt-marsh community Spartinetum maritimae (Emb. & Regn. 1926) Corillion 1953
- SM5 Spartina alterniflora salt-marsh community Spartinetum alterniflorae Corillion 1953
- SM6 Spartina anglica salt-marsh community Spartinetum townsendii (Tansley 1939) Corillion 1953
- SM7 Arthrocnemum perenne stands
- SM8 Annual Salicornia salt-marsh community Salicornietum europaeae Warming 1906
- SM9 Suaeda maritima salt-marsh community Suaedetum maritimae (Conrad 1935) Pignatti 1953
- SM10 Transitional low-marsh vegetation with Puccinellia maritima, annual Salicornia species and Suaeda maritima
- SM11 Aster tripolium var. discoideus salt-marsh community Asteretum tripolii Tansley 1939
- SM12 Rayed Aster tripolium on salt-marshes
- SM13 Puccinellia maritima salt-marsh community Puccinellietum maritimae (Warming 1906) Christiansen 1927
- SM14 Halimione portaculoides salt-marsh community Halimionetum portulacoidis (Kuhnholtz-Lordat 1927) Des Abbayes & Corillion 1949
- SM15 Juncus maritimus - Triglochin maritima salt-marsh community
- SM16 Festuca rubra salt-marsh community Juncetum gerardi Warming 1906
- SM17 Artemisia maritima salt-marsh community Artemisietum maritimae Hocquette 1927
- SM18 Juncus maritimus salt-marsh community
- SM19 Blysmus rufus salt-marsh community Blysmetum rufi (G.E. & G. Du Rietz 1925) Gillner 1960
- SM20 Eleocharis uniglumis salt-marsh community Eleocharitetum uniglumis Nordhagen 1923
- SM21 Suaeda vera - Limonium binervosum salt-marsh community
- SM22 Halimione portulacoides - Frankenia laevis salt-marsh community Limonio vulgaris - Frankenietum laevis Géhu & Géhu-Franck 1975
- SM23 Spergularia marina - Puccinellia distans salt-marsh community Puccinellietum distantis Feekes (1934) 1945
- SM24 Elymus pycnanthus salt-marsh community Atriplici-Elymetum pycnanthi Beeftink & Westhoff 1962
- SM25 Suaeda vera drift-line community Elymo pycnanthi - Suaedetum verae (Arènes 1933) Géhu 1975
- SM26 Inula crithmoides on salt-marshes
- SM27 Ephermeral salt-marsh vegetation with Sagina maritima Saginion maritimae Westhoff, van Leeuwen & Adriani 1962
- SM28 Elymus repens salt-marsh community Elymetum repentis maritimum Nordhagen 1940
Shingle, strandline and sand-dune communities
The following 19 communities are described in Volume 5 of British Plant Communities. For an article summarising these communities see Shingle, strandline and sand-dune communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system.
Maritime cliff communities
The following 12 communities are described in Volume 5 of British Plant Communities. For an article summarising these communities see Maritime cliff communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system.
Vegetation of open habitats
The following 42 communities are described in Volume 5 of British Plant Communities. For an article summarising these communities see Vegetation of open habitats in the British National Vegetation Classification system.