Scientific name	Agrostis stolonifera – Festuca rubra – Carex arenaria duneland
Common name	Creeping Bent – Red Fescue – Sand Sedge duneland
Community code	DU3C

 

Download full pdf synopsis: DU3C

 

Vegetation

In this rather species-poor dune grassland community, Agrostis stolonifera and Festuca rubra are the top constant species, but typically neither dominates. Alongside them can usually be found Trifolium repens, Taraxacum officinale agg., Poa pratensis/humilis and Carex arenaria. Juncus articulatus and Plantago lanceolata are frequent, as is Plantago coronopus, an indicator of trampled open habitats.

Ecology

This community represents a transition between the drier Festuca rubra dune grasslands and the more humid communities with Agrostis stolonifera found in dune slacks, some machair and coastal fens. The community probably occurs on sandy mor-soils with some inundation.

 

Sub-communities

No sub-communities are described.

 

Similar communities

Agrostis stolonifera is a scarce species in the dunelands of group DU2 in which Festuca rubra is so prominent, but is a constant here. This community lacks the Salix repens of community DU3A and the hydrophilic species of DU3B. It is close to the DU3D Festuca rubra – Bellis perennis duneland, but in that assemblage, Bellis perennis, Carex flacca and Prunella vulgaris are much more frequent.

Conservation value

Most examples of this vegetation probably correspond to the EU HD Annex I habitat 2190 Dune slacks or (on the northwest coast) the priority habitat *21A0 Machair.

 

Management

This dune grassland is often grazed by livestock and rabbits, and overgrazing or undergrazing can be a problem, as can disturbance due to recreational activities in popular coastal areas.