Calcifugous grasslands and montane communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system

Calcifugous grasslands and montane communities are botanical groupings in the British National Vegetation Classification system.

The calcifugous grasslands and montane communities of the NVC were described in Volume 3 of "British Plant Communities", first published in 1992, along with the mesotrophic grassland communities and the calcicolous grassland communities.

In total, 21 calcifugous grasslands and montane communities have been identified.

The calcifugous grasslands and montane communities consist of the following groupings:
* five grass-dominated communities which group together as "sub-montane calcifugous grasslands"; two of these, U1 and U2 are found throughout Britain, two more U4 and U5 are found throughout upland areas of Scotland, Wales and northern and western England, and one, U3, is localised in southwest England.
* a sixth submontane community, U6, dominated by Heath Rush "Juncus squarrosus"
* four communities categorised as "calcifugous vegetation of low- and middle-alpine snow-fields", all of which are confined or nearly confined to Scotland: U7, U8, U11 and U12
* two moss- and rush-heaths of low- and middle-alpine plateaus U10, which is confined to Scotland, and U9 which is also found in northern England and North Wales
* five communities grouped together as "mesotrophic montane swards and herb-rich banks and ledges": U13, U14, U15, U16 and U17; some of these are confined to Scotland while others extend into northern England or North Wales
* four calcifuge fern communities, one of which, U20, is widespread; the remaining three (U18, U19 and U21) are confined to upland areas of northern and western Britain

List of calcifugous grasslands and montane communities

The following is a list of the communities that make up this category:

* U1 "Festuca ovina - Agrostris capillaris - Rumex acetosella" grassland
* U2 "Deschampsia flexuosa" grassland
* U3 "Agrostis curtisii" grassland
* U4 "Festuca ovina - Agrostris capillaris - Galium saxatile" grassland
* U5 "Nardus stricta - Galium saxatile" grassland
* U6 "Juncus squarrosus - Festuca ovina" grassland
* U7 "Nardus stricta - Carex bigelowii" grass-heath
* U8 "Carex bigelowii - Polytrichum alpinum" sedge-heath
* U9 "Juncus trifidus - Racomitrium lanuginosum" rush-heath
* U10 "Carex bigelowii - Racomitrium lanuginosum" moss-heath
* U11 "Polytrichum sexangulare - Kiaeria starkei" snow-bed
* U12 "Salix herbacea - Racomitrium heterostichum" snow-bed
* U13 "Deschampsia cespitosa - Galium saxatile" grassland
* U14 "Alchemilla alpina - Sibbaldia procumbens" dwarf-herb community
* U15 "Saxifraga aizoides - Alchemilla glabra" banks
* U16 "Luzula sylvatica - Vaccinium myrtillus" tall-herb community
* U17 "Luzula sylvatica - Geum rivale" tall-herb community
* U18 "Cryptogramma crispa - Athyrium distentifolium" snow-bed
* U19 "Thelypteris limbosperma - Blechnum spicant" community
* U20 "Pteridium aquilinum - Galium saxatile" community
* U21 "Cryptogramma crispa - Deschampsia flexuosa" community