Snow grass snowbed communities

Description (English)

Sparse communities of the alpine level of northern boreal and arcto-alpine mountains of Scandinavia and of Iceland dominated by the grass Phippsia algida, with, notably, Salix herbacea, Cerastium arcticum, Cerastium cerastoides, Oxyria digyna, Ranunculus glacialis, Ranunculus nivalis, Ranunculus pygmaeus, Saxifraga cernua, Saxifraga oppositifolia, Saxifraga rivularis, Saxifraga stellaris, Saxifraga tenuis, Carex lachenalii, Juncus biglumis, Poa alpina f. vivipara, Deschampsia alpina, Sagina saginoides, with a fragmentary moss cover and no lichens, located on gravelly, sandy, sometimes totally waterlogged soils, calcareous in Scandinavia, with prolonged snow-cover. Snow grass communities frequently occur as pioneer vegetation on small surfaces, very common in the central part of southern Norway and in Sweden from Jamtland northwards.

Source: EUNIS habitat classification