Oceanic to subcontinental inland sand grassland on dry acid and neutral soils

This habitat comprises semi-natural, moderately open to closed, relatively low-grown meso-xeric grasslands on nutrient-poor, acid to neutral, sometimes slightly calcareous sands in the lowlands and middle high mountains throughout temperate Europe. These grasslands are mostly dominated by tussock-forming, narrow-leaved graminoids (hemicryptophytes) of the Festuca ovina aggregate (namely F. brevipila, F. filiformis, F. guestfalica, F. heteropachys, F. lemanii, F. ovina), often accompanied by Agrostis capillaris, Poa angustifolia or Carex praecox. In good conditions they are relatively rich in herbs, forming an important nectar source for insects.

Characteristic herbs of the habitat are Armeria maritima subsp. elongata, Artemisia campestris, Dianthus deltoides, Campanula rotundifolia, Galium verum, Sedum acre, Silene otites, Potentilla argentea agg., Thymus serpyllum, Trifolium arvense, Veronica prostrata and Herniaria glabra. Present in most sites of this habitat are Achillea millefolium, Plantago lanceolata, Hieracium pilosella, Rumex acetosella, Hypochaeris radicata and Jasione montana. More open examples of this habitat contain a high cover of mosses and/or lichens and are rich in annual vascular plants (therophytes). Several ‘steppe elements’ have a western or northern outpost in this habitat, thanks to the extreme micro-climate, with high temperatures during the day, dropping down quickly at night. Examples of such species (most of them characteristic of the class Festuco-Brometea) are Euphorbia cyparissias, Helichrysum arenarium, Phleum phleoides and Veronica spicata. On the Balkans the vicariant alliance Armerio-Potentillion is described, with Armeria rumelica, Agrostis castellana, Jasione heldreichii, Plantago subulata and Potentilla inclinata.

Especially, the more calcareous examples of the habitat contain several characteristic species of type E1.1g. On relative acid soils the habitat shows transitions towards grasslands of habitat ‘Lowland to submontane Nardus grassland’ (E1.7a, mainly alliance Violion caninae). More natural, pioneer stages of these grasslands, develop under relatively dynamic conditions along rivers, with active sand sedimentation. On inland sandy dunes the habitat forms a succession stage after the initial Corynephorus-grasslands (type E1.9b), as a result of humus accumulation. Some of the grasslands of this type are rather similar to Atlantic and Baltic coastal dune grasslands (type B1.4a), and such inland and coastal grasslands are united in the same alliances.

This habitat is found on high, rarely flooded levees in river valleys, on dry, sandy parts of plains and siliceous mountains, as well as on coastal sandy cliffs in the Baltics. Its main range covers France, the UK, the Netherlands, Northern Germany, South Scandinavia, Poland and the Baltic countries. It is less frequent in the southern half of Central Europe (in siliceous mountain ranges and on dune systems along the big rivers), becomes rarer to the South (Northern Iberia, Central France) and East (e.g. restricted to the valleys of the big rivers in Ukraine). Based on available data on vegetation and soils, there seems to be a second centre of distribution in the central parts of the Balkan Peninsula (Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, Bulgaria).

The habitat type corresponds to the phytosociological orders Trifolio arvensis-Fetucetalia ovinae and Thero-Airetalia (class Koelerio-Corynephoretea), excluding their occurrences on coastal grey dunes. It occurs from the submediterranean to the southern boreal zones of Europe, where ever there are dry, moderately developed sandy soils, be it from dunes or as weathering product of siliceous bedrock. The range of E1.9a extends to Northern Iberia, France and the British Isles in the West, while in Eastern Central and Eastern Europe it co-occurs with the habitat type ‘Pannonian and Pontic sandy steppe’ (E1.1a, grasslands of the order Festuco-Sedetalia acris). There, type E1.9a is found on better developed soils, where it may be found side by side to habitat E1.1a on more xeric, poorly developed soils.

The habitat type mainly consists of five, largely vicariant alliances of meso-xeric perennial grasslands, differentiated by the matrix-forming graminoids: In the Atlantic region (mainly in the lowlands) the Sedo-Cerastion arvensis with Festuca filiformis occurs, in the subcontinental lowlands (mainly the areas covered by the Nordic Ice shield during the glaciations) the Armerion elongatae with Festuca brevipila and Armeria maritima subsp. elongata is widespread, the Hyperico perforati-Scleranthion perennis with Festuca ovina and F. guestfalica is mainly distributed in siliceous low mountain ranges and in Scandinavia, the Agrostion vinealis with Poa angustifolia and Agrostis vinealis is typical for the big river valleys of East Europe (but probably not within EU28+) and the Armerio rumelicae-Potentillion with various Agrostis species, Festuca valesiaca and Armeria rumelica occurs on the Central and Northern Balkan Peninsula. There are two more alliances of perennial tussock grasslands that potentially or partly belong here. The Koelerio-Phleion phleioidis, described from the lower siliceous mountain ranges in the southern half of Central Europe is a transition between the Hyperico perforati-Scleranthion perennis and the Armerion elongatae on the one side and the Festucion valesiacae (belonging to the habitat type E1.2b) on the other side, and not accepted in the EuroVegChecklist. The Armerion junceae from Southern France has been preliminarily placed in the Trifolio arvensis-Festucetalia ovinae by the EuroVegChecklist, but this position is questionable. Lastly, there are the grasslands rich in winter-annuals (Filago arvensis, F. minima, Vulpia spp., Aira spp., Trifolium spp.) of the order Thero-Airetalia with the single alliance Thero-Airion, which occurs under similar site conditions in the Submediterranean-Atlantic parts of temperate Europe (Northern Iberia, France, British Isles), but can be found in small patches at disturbed sited within Trifolio arvensis-Festucetalia ovinae stands also further to the east.

Indicators of good quality:

Continuation of management is important, but under very dry conditions the structure and species composition may remain unchanged for rather long periods without management. Inadequate management (burning, no management) may cause dominance of a single graminoid species, and finally succession towards scrub and woodland.

Indicators of good quality include:

·      Long continuation of management (grazing, hay making or a combination of both)

·      Occurrence of regional rare species (steppic elements) having an outpost in their European distribution range

·      High richness in herb species, no development of dense, species-poor grassland with thick litter accumulation

·      No encroachment of mosses (Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus), grasses (Calamagrostis epigejos, Arrhenatherum elatius), shrubs (Rubus caesius) or trees

Synthesis of Red List assessment

Confidence in the assessment

Pressures and threats