R221 Atlantic hay meadows

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Description

Mesophile hay meadows subjected to one or few cuts per year, with grazing absent or restricted to brief early-spring or late-autumn periods. Traditional practices based on low-intensity management maintain high-diversity communities dominated by grasses and mesophytic herbaceous species providing hay to feed the cattle in winter.

Protection

Protected by the EU Habitat Directive under the code 6510 ("Lowland hay meadows (Alopecurus pratensis, Sanguisorba officinalis)").

Floristic Composition

Frequent species

Trifolium pratense 88%, Holcus lanatus 84%, Plantago lanceolata 81%, Cynosurus cristatus 77%, Anthoxanthum odoratum 73%, Dactylis glomerata 70%, Trifolium repens aggr. 69%, Hypochaeris radicata 57%, Rumex acetosa 51%, Lolium perenne 41%, Bromus hordeaceus aggr. 41%, Bellis perennis 40%, Ranunculus acris 38%, Arrhenatherum elatius 37%, Lotus corniculatus 37%, Poa trivialis 37%, Crepis capillaris 37%, Trisetum flavescens 36%, Trifolium dubium 36%, Cerastium fontanum 35%, Ranunculus bulbosus 32%, Gaudinia fragilis 31%, Centaurea nigra 31%, Briza media 31%, Poa pratensis 29%, Daucus carota 28%, Achillea millefolium 27%, Festuca rubra 27%, Prunella vulgaris 26%, Linum bienne 26%, Taraxacum sect. Taraxacum 26%, Rhinanthus minor 24%, Lathyrus pratensis 22%, Agrostis capillaris 22%, Medicago lupulina 21%, Ranunculus repens 20%, Lotus pedunculatus 20%, Leucanthemum vulgare 20%, Trocdaris verticillatum 20%, Sanguisorba minor 19%, Schedonorus pratensis 18%, Schedonorus arundinaceus 17%, Veronica chamaedrys 15%, Vicia sativa aggr. 15%, Malva moschata 15%, Mentha suaveolens 15%, Geranium dissectum 14%, Ajuga reptans 13%, Leontodon hispidus 13%, Brachypodium pinnatum 12%, Plantago media 11%, Silene flos-cuculi 11%, Crepis taraxacifolia 11%, Thrincia saxatilis aggr. 11%, Danthonia decumbens 11%, Stellaria graminea 10%, Rumex crispus 10%, Agrostis castellana 10%, Luzula campestris 10%, Juncus acutiflorus 10%, Tragopogon pratensis 10%, Phleum pratense aggr. 10%, Bistorta officinalis 10%, Lolium multiflorum 10%, Rhinanthus angustifolius 10%, Bromus racemosus 9%, Carum carvi 9%, Heracleum sphondylium 9%, Polygala vulgaris 9%, Vulpia bromoides 9%, Cerastium glomeratum 8%, Cardamine pratensis 8%, Potentilla erecta 8%, Prunella grandiflora 8%, Trifolium campestre 8%, Cyperus longus 7%, Carex leporina 7%, Rumex obtusifolius 7%, Chamaemelum nobile 7%, Centaurea debeauxii 7%, Galium verum 7%, Festuca nigrescens 7%, Alopecurus pratensis 7%, Linum catharticum 6%, Veronica arvensis 6%, Convolvulus arvensis 6%, Pilosella officinarum 6%, Bromus commutatus 6%, Vicia hirsuta 6%, Vicia cracca 5%, Aira caryophyllea 5%, Myosotis discolor 5%, Euphrasia hirtella 5%, Plantago major 5%, Saxifraga granulata 5%, Potentilla reptans 5%, Dactylorhiza maculata aggr. 5%

Phytosociology

  • Agrostio castellanae-Arrhenatheretum bulbosi
  • Malvo moschatae-Arrhenatheretum bulbosi

Relations with other habitat types

Since the existence of a core of dominant species of tall grass across all the study area prevents the statistically sound recognition of, in particular, elevational variants like those distinguished by EUNIS as R22 and R23 (the latter including a specific unit for our area: R2314 [“Northern Iberian submontane hay meadows]), we lump all our hay meadows in a single level IV umbrella category, and choose R211 to name it for its evocative allusion to the Atlantic.

Regional distribution

Known occurrences and potential area of occupancy of the habitat type in the study region.

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Citation: IBEROATLANTICA – Flora and Habitats of the Cantabrian Mixed Forests ecoregion.
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