Pannonic dune open grasslands

Description (English)

More or less open grasslands constituting the second stage of succession in the colonisation of Pannonic dunes, dominated by the perennial grasses Festuca vaginata, Stipa capillata, Stipa borysthenica, Cleistogenes serotina, Koeleria glauca, Koeleria cristata, Carex liparocarpos, accompanied by Euphorbia seguierana, Alkanna tinctoria, Alyssum montanum ssp. gmelinii, Dianthus serotinus, Dianthus diutinus, Gypsophila paniculata, Scabiosa ochroleuca, Astragalus austriacus, Astragalus onobrychis, Erysimum diffusum, Fumana procumbens, Minuartia glomerata, Minuartia verna; arid sites on flattened plains are characterized by the abundance of lichens and have Helechrysum arenarium and Kochia laniflora; thermic slopes and tops of dunes support an open community with the shrub Fumana procumbens, Astragalus varius, Helianthemum nummularium, Scabiosa ochroleuca; somewhat water-retentive depressions are characterized by Scirpus holoschoenus and Linum hirsutum ssp. glabrescens; shrub colonisation includes Juniperus communis, Berberis vulgaris and Salix rosmarinifolia. Decalcified dune tops and slopes may support more acidophilous formations dominated by Corynephorus canescens, with Jasione montana and Rumex acetosella ssp. tenuifolia, but also with many species of the calcareous sandy grasslands, including Festuca vaginata and Koeleria glauca.

Source: EUNIS habitat classification