SD11: Carex arenaria-Cornicularia aculeata dune community

Summary

Synonymy

Caricetum arenariae Tansley 1939 p.p.

Constant species

Carex arenaria, Cornicularia aculeata.

Rare species

Astragalus danicus, Corynephorus canescens.

Physiognomy

The Carex arenaria-Cornicularia aculeata community includes lichen-rich swards in which sand-sedge is the only constant vascular plant. It is, though, never a vigorous dominant here, only occasionally having high cover and more usually occurring as scattered tufts of shoots, sometimes distinctly moribund. Neither are any other herbs consistently abundant. Festuca ovina and F. rubra are quite commonly found, for example, but usually as small scattered tussocks and, though Agrostis capillaris occasionally forms patches in the turf, these are rarely dense. Then, although Luzula campestris is fairly frequent, it generally occurs as rather sparse individuals. Sometimes more abundant, though only very locally around the East Anglian coast, is the rare grass Corynephorus canescens which, while being essentially a pioneer plant of more open sands, can continue to seed into these swards for several years (Marshall 1967). Certain annual grasses like Aira praecox, A. caryophyllea and Phleum arenarium may also occur with considerable local abundance where bare patches develop. Finally, among the monocotyledons, Ammophila arenaria is a frequent feature of coastal stands of the community though, even more than Carex arenaria, it is characteristically of very debilitated growth, persisting as sparse, scattered tussocks.