Lowland moist or wet tall-herb and fern fringe

Tall-herb and fern communities of this habitat type are widespread in the nemoral, boreal and submediterranean parts of Europe. These include stands of tall herbs and ferns in the lowlands, hills and low mountain ranges up to the subalpine zone. In general, this refers to areas below 1,000 meters of  altitude. Such tall herb communities are mostly found along watercourses, in wet meadows and in the shade at the edge of woodlands. The rather species-rich vegetation is dominated by 1 to 1.5 m (sometimes even more than 2 m), tall forbs and grasses, sometimes mixed with lianes such as Calystegia sepium and Cuscuta europaea. Usually the stands cover narrow strips (up to 2–3 m, often narrower). The communities are generally rich in flowers, attracting lots of insects, especially butterflies. The side conditions are moist to wet and generally nitrogen-rich; the substrates are often seasonally or even permanently submerged. As a result, many of the prevailing species may grow both in the water (shallow water 0.10–0.20 m deep) and on over-wet soils. The species composition is diverse, depending on the altitude and location in the landscape, reflecting the composition of the surrounding communities. In floodplains and along running water streams in more hilly regions, mostly on clay and gravel grounds, the communities are characterized by species like Althaea officinalis, Epilobium hirsutum, Eupatorium cannabinum, Symphytum officinale and various species of the genus Angelica, representing alliances of the order Convolvuletalia sepium. As such communities are found widespread over Europe, floristic differences may be observed in line with the geographic distribution (atlantic, subatlantic, boreal, submediterranean and central European). In abandoned meadows and places of secondary origin, e.g. along canals and ponds, ruderal species and neophytes (such as Impatiens glandulifera and Solidago gigantea) are frequent companions. The vegetation here is often assigned to the order Molinietalia. In the shade of the edge of woodlands, in forest clearings on wet soils, and in humid ravines, tall forb communities may develop that show quite some similarity with fringe communities of habitat type E5.2a. Such communities are assigned to the order Circaeo lutetianae-Stachyetalia sylvaticae and may include species like Aegopodium podagraria, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Circaea lutetiana, and Stachys sylvatica. In spite of all this variation, it is not easy and therefore not recommended to define subtypes.

Indicators of good quality:

• Lack of invasive species
• Dominance of tall-herbs and lianes
• Absence of shrubs and trees
• No dominance of nitrophilous species like Urtica dioica and Galium aparine
• High species richness

Synthesis of Red List assessment

Confidence in the assessment

Pressures and threats