NVC community CG2 (Festuca ovina - Avenula pratensis grassland) is one of the calcicolous grassland communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system. It is one of three short-sward communities associated with heavy grazing, within the lowland calcicolous grassland group, and is regarded as "typical" chalk grassland.
It is a comparatively widely distributed community. There are four subcommunities.
Community composition
The following constant species are found in this community:
- Meadow Oat-grass (Avenula pratensis)
 - Quaking-grass (Briza media)
 - Glaucous Sedge (Carex flacca)
 - Sheep's Fescue (Festuca ovina)
 - Mouse-ear Hawkweed (Hieracium pilosella)
 - Crested Hair-grass (Koeleria macrantha)
 - Rough Hawkbit (Leontodon hispidus)
 - Fairy Flax (Linum catharticum)
 - Bird's-foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)
 - Ribwort Plantain (Plantago lanceolata)
 - Salad Burnet (Sanguisorba minor)
 - Small Scabious (Scabiosa columbaria)
 - Wild Thyme (Thymus praecox)
 
The following rare species are also associated with the community:
- Man Orchid (Aceras anthropophorum)
 - Ground-pine (Ajuga chamaepitys)
 - Purple Milk-vetch (Astragalus danicus)
 - Great Pignut (Bunium bulbocastanum)
 - Rare Spring Sedge (Carex ericetorum)
 - Dwarf Sedge (Carex humilis)
 - Soft-leaved Sedge (Carex montana)
 - Dwarf Mouse-ear (Cerastium pumilum)
 - Tuberous Thistle (Cirsium tuberosum)
 - Chalk Eyebright (Euphrasia pseudokerneri)
 - Slender Bedstraw (Galium pumilum)
 - Limestone Bedstraw (Galium sterneri)
 - Early Gentian (Gentianella anglica)
 - Chiltern Gentian (Gentianella germanica)
 - Musk Orchid (Herminium monorchis)
 - Spotted Cat's-ear (Hypochaeris maculata)
 - Wild Candytuft (Iberis amara)
 - Perennial Flax (Linum perenne subsp. anglicum)
 - Late Spider-orchid (Ophrys fuciflora)
 - Early Spider-orchid (Ophrys sphegodes)
 - Monkey Orchid (Orchis simia)
 - Burnt Orchid (Orchis ustulata)
 - Broomrape (Orobanche picridis)
 - Round-headed Rampion (Phyteuma tenerum)
 - Dwarf Milkwort (Polygala amara)
 - Chalk Milkwort (Polygala calcarea)
 - Pasqueflower (Pulsatilla vulgaris)
 - Meadow Clary (Salvia pratensis)
 - Field Fleawort (Senecio integrifolius ssp. integrifolius)
 - Moon Carrot (Seseli libanotis)
 - Nottingham Catchfly (Silene nutans)
 - Autumn Ladies'-tresses (Spiranthes spiralis)
 - Cut-leaved Germander (Teucrium botrys)
 - Bastard-toadflax (Thesium humifusum)
 - Large Thyme (Thymus pulegioides)
 - Spiked Speedwell (Veronica spicata)
 
Distribution
This community is found in lowland limestone grassland throughout England and Wales.
Subcommunities
There are four subcommunities, one of which is subdivided into three variants:
- the Cirsium acaule - Asperula cynanchica subcommunity, subdivided into:
- a typical variant
 - a Filipendula vulgaris - Helinathemum nummularium variant
 - a Pseudoscleropodium purum - Prunella vulgaris variant
 
 - the Succisa pratensis - Leucanthemum vulgare subcommunity
 - the Holcus lanatus - Trifolium repens subcommunity
 - the Dicranum scoparium subcommunity
 
References
- Rodwell, J. S. (1992) British Plant Communities Volume 3 - Grasslands and montane communities ISBN 0-521-39166-0 (hardback), ISBN 0-521-62719-2 (paperback)
 
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