We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 September 2010
Synonymy
Armeria maritima-Grimmia maritima rock crevice community Ostenfeld 1908; Armeria maritima-Ligusticum scoticum low cliff vegetation Petch 1933; Armeria maritima-Grimmia maritima and Asplenium marinum-Grimmia maritima Associations Birks 1973; Habitat Groups II & III Goldsmith 1975; Armeria maritima-Grimmia maritima association Malloch & Okusanya 1979.
Constant species
Armeria maritima, Festuca rubra, Ligusticum scoticum, Schistidium maritimum.
Physiognomy
As in the Crithmo-Spergularietum, the vegetation comprises a low-growing, very open cover, mainly of vascular perennials whose precise arrangement is strongly influenced by the availability and pattern of rockcrevices. There is no single dominant but Armeria maritima, Festuca rubra and Ligusticum scoticum may each be abundant in particular stands. Plantago maritima, Rhodiola rosea and Silene vulgaris ssp. maritima are frequent. Although Schistidium maritimum is occasionally present in the Crithmo-Spergularietum, it is here constant, though always in small amounts. Other bryophytes are rare. Birks (1973) recorded Anaptychia fusca and Ramalina siliquosa as frequently occurring lichens exclusive to this vegetation on Skye.
Asplenium marinum is an occasional in the community but it may become locally abundant in sheltered rockcrevices with Trichostomum brachydontium (Birks 1973).
Habitat
The Armeria-Ligusticum community replaces Crithmo-Spergularietum as the most maritime vascular plant community north of Galloway. It occurs on all rock types, being limited mainly by the physical structure of the deposits. On softer sandstones, such as parts of the Old Red Sandstone which comprises much of the Caithness cliffs, the vegetation cover tends to be greater than usual.
To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.
