British NVC community CG2

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