R221 Atlantic hay meadows

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Description

Mesophile hay meadows subjected to one or few cuts per year, with grazing absent or restricted to brief early-spring or late-autumn periods. Traditional practices based on low-intensity management maintain high-diversity communities dominated by grasses and mesophytic herbaceous species providing hay to feed the cattle in winter. Since the existence of a core of dominant species of tall grass across all the study area prevents the statistically sound recognition of, in particular, elevational variants like those distinguished by EUNIS as R22 and R23 (the latter including a specific unit for our area: R2314 [“Northern Iberian submontane hay meadows]), we lump all our hay meadows in a single level IV umbrella category, and choose R211 to name it for its evocative allusion to the Atlantic.

Floristic Composition

Frequent species

Trifolium pratense 0.88, Holcus lanatus 0.84, Plantago lanceolata 0.81, Cynosurus cristatus 0.77, Anthoxanthum odoratum 0.73, Dactylis glomerata 0.7, Trifolium repens aggr. 0.69, Hypochaeris radicata 0.57, Rumex acetosa 0.51, Lolium perenne 0.41, Bromus hordeaceus aggr. 0.41, Bellis perennis 0.4, Ranunculus acris 0.38, Arrhenatherum elatius 0.37, Lotus corniculatus 0.37, Poa trivialis 0.37, Crepis capillaris 0.37, Trisetum flavescens 0.36, Trifolium dubium 0.36, Cerastium fontanum 0.35, Ranunculus bulbosus 0.32, Gaudinia fragilis 0.31, Centaurea nigra 0.31, Briza media 0.31, Poa pratensis 0.29, Daucus carota 0.28, Achillea millefolium 0.27, Festuca rubra 0.27, Prunella vulgaris 0.26, Linum bienne 0.26, Taraxacum sect. Taraxacum 0.26, Rhinanthus minor 0.24, Lathyrus pratensis 0.22, Agrostis capillaris 0.22, Medicago lupulina 0.21, Ranunculus repens 0.2, Lotus pedunculatus 0.2, Leucanthemum vulgare 0.2, Trocdaris verticillatum 0.2, Sanguisorba minor 0.19, Schedonorus pratensis 0.18, Schedonorus arundinaceus 0.17, Veronica chamaedrys 0.15, Vicia sativa aggr. 0.15, Malva moschata 0.15, Mentha suaveolens 0.15, Geranium dissectum 0.14, Ajuga reptans 0.13, Leontodon hispidus 0.13, Brachypodium pinnatum 0.12, Plantago media 0.11, Silene flos-cuculi 0.11, Crepis taraxacifolia 0.11, Thrincia saxatilis aggr. 0.11, Danthonia decumbens 0.11, Stellaria graminea 0.1, Rumex crispus 0.1, Agrostis castellana 0.1, Luzula campestris 0.1, Juncus acutiflorus 0.1, Tragopogon pratensis 0.1, Phleum pratense aggr. 0.1, Bistorta officinalis 0.1, Lolium multiflorum 0.1, Rhinanthus angustifolius 0.1, Bromus racemosus 0.09, Carum carvi 0.09, Heracleum sphondylium 0.09, Polygala vulgaris 0.09, Vulpia bromoides 0.09, Cerastium glomeratum 0.08, Cardamine pratensis 0.08, Potentilla erecta 0.08, Prunella grandiflora 0.08, Trifolium campestre 0.08, Cyperus longus 0.07, Carex leporina 0.07, Rumex obtusifolius 0.07, Chamaemelum nobile 0.07, Centaurea debeauxii 0.07, Galium verum 0.07, Festuca nigrescens 0.07, Alopecurus pratensis 0.07, Linum catharticum 0.06, Veronica arvensis 0.06, Convolvulus arvensis 0.06, Pilosella officinarum 0.06, Bromus commutatus 0.06, Vicia hirsuta 0.06, Vicia cracca 0.05, Aira caryophyllea 0.05, Myosotis discolor 0.05, Euphrasia hirtella 0.05, Plantago major 0.05, Saxifraga granulata 0.05, Potentilla reptans 0.05, Dactylorhiza maculata aggr. 0.05

Regional distribution

Known occurrences and potential area of occupancy of the habitat type in the study region.
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Citation: IBEROATLANTICA – Flora and Habitats of the Cantabrian Mixed Forests ecoregion.
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