A survey of the vegetation of Ben Nevis - Scottish Natural Heritage

Scottish Natural Heritage Commissioned Report No. 090 (ROAME No. F02LD01)
M37 Palustriella commutata-Festuca rubra spring
This is the characteristic spring-head vegetation where the water which emerges from the ground is base-rich.
It is attractive and distinctive, though not species-rich. M37 springs are scattered throughout the Grey Corries,
but are most common on the slopes of Beinn na Socaich and Beinn Bhàn in Coire a’ Mhadaidh. They consist
of rich orange-red, swelling cushions of Palustriella commutata, patched with Bryum pseudotriquetrum and
Scapania undulata and tufted with Festuca rubra and Carex panicea. Little else grows in them. There may
be a speckling of small plants such as Ranunculus acris, Saxifraga aizoides, Pinguicula vulgaris and
Taraxacum officinale. In some examples there are small amounts of calcicoles such as Thalictrum alpinum
and Persicaria vivipara, but these springs are less varied and herb-rich than the Palustriella-Carex type
M38 of the Breadalbanes and Upper Teesdale. However, M37 springs in Coire a’ Mhadaidh are home to
the uncommon horsetail Equisetum variegatum.
MX Herb-rich small-sedge mire
This type of vegetation, known as Neutral Flush in Wales, is common throughout the British uplands but
has somehow escaped being sampled for the NVC (Averis et al. 2004). It consists of the small sedges of
the Carex-Sphagnum mire M6 (see above) together with the herbs and bryophytes of the Carex rostrata-
Sphagnum squarrosum mire M5, the C. rostrata -S. warnstorfii mire M8 or the Juncus-Galium rush pasture
M23 (see above). Many examples are like a sedge-dominated counterpart of M23. Although uncommon
in the study area, there are some good examples in Coire an Eòin. These mires have a short sward of
Carex nigra, C. echinata, C. panicea and Eriophorum angustifolium, interspersed with grasses such as
Nardus stricta, Anthoxanthum odoratum, Festuca vivipara and Molinia caerulea and enriched by herbs such
as Succisa pratensis, Ranunculus acris, Parnassia palustris, Viola palustris, Cardamine pratensis, Epilobium
palustre, Cardamine pratensis, Ajuga reptans, Prunella vulgaris and Rhinanthus minor. Over the ground is a
layer of bryophytes including Calliergonella cuspidata, Hylocomium splendens, Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus,
Sphagnum fallax, S. palustre, S. squarrosum and Aulacomnium palustre. Carex pulicaris, C. viridula ssp.
oedocarpa and C. hostiana are common in some examples.
MG9a Holcus lanatus-Deschampsia cespitosa grassland, Poa trivialis sub-community
There is a patch of this type of vegetation between the ruined house at Steall and the Water of Nevis. It has
a tall, coarse sward of Juncus effusus, Holcus lanatus and Deschampsia cespitosa, studded with Rumex
acetosa and Dryopteris filix-mas with an underlayer of Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus, Polytrichum commune,
Thuidium tamariscinum, Hylocomium splendens and Lophocolea bidentata. This is a weedy type of
vegetation, more common in the lowlands than in the uplands, and associated with disturbed ground where
there has been some nutrient enrichment. This piece of ground may once have been cultivated, or it may
simply be where sheep and cattle once congregated.
CG10a Festuca ovina-Agrostis capillaris-Thymus polytrichus grassland, Trifolium repens-
Luzula campestris sub-community
This is the sub-community of CG10 which occurs on the driest ground. There are small patches on the steep,
south-facing slopes of Ben Nevis to the north of the Bealach Cumhann, and larger expanses on
the west side of Carn Dearg and Meall an t-Suidhe. Another characteristic habitat is river shingle
and spreads of gravel where streams flow out of eroding gullies, for example in Glen Nevis and in
Coire an Eòin. CG10a has a short, rich green sward of Festuca vivipara, Agrostis capillaris, A. canina and
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