Synonymy

Anthelia julacea-Deschampsia cespitosa provisional nodum McVean & Ratcliffe 1962; Anthelia julacea banks Birks 1973.

Constant species

Deschampsia cespitosa, Anthelia julacea, Marsupella emarginata, Scapania undulata, Sphagnum auriculatum.

Rare species

Anthelia juratzkana, Pohlia ludwigii.

Physiognomy

In the Sphagno auriculati-Anthelietum julaceae, Anthelia julacea more than justifies the claim of McVicar (1912) that it is ‘the most conspicuous hepatic of our highland mountains’. For though its individual shoots are threadlike, they are here massed into extraordinarily robust and dense tufts, cushions or huge swelling masses, up to a metre or more thick and sometimes covering as much as several square metres in total extent. Dull and glaucous when kept wet, as they typically are, or occasionally drying out to a pale grey colour, the larger mats and banks can scarcely be missed, even from a distance.

In terms of its associated flora, however, this is generally a rather species-poor assemblage, with vascular plants being especially sparse. Among other bryophytes, Sphagnum auriculatum, Marsupella emarginata (both var. emarginata and var. aquatica) and Scapania undulata are all constant and, though none rivals A. julacea itself in abundance, the first in particular can be found as patches of moderate size, often prominent by virtue of their coppery hue. Racomitrium lanuginosum and Philonotis fontana are also quite frequent, with Calliergon sarmentosum, Campylopus atrovirens, Polytrichum commune and Racomitrium fasciculare occurring occasionally. Rare bryophytes recorded here include Anthelia juratzkana, which seems totally to replace A. julacea in some stands (McVean & Ratcliffe 1962), and Pohlia ludwigii.

The commonest vascular plant in the community is Deschampsia cespitosa (presumably sometimes ssp. alpina at higher altitudes) and this is typically found as small tufts set in the bryophyte cushions. Scattered plants of Nardus stricta also occur quite often with occasional Narthecium ossifragum, Pinguicula vulgaris, Carex demissa and Saxifraga stellaris. Less frequent are Eriophorum angustifolium, Carex bigelowii, C. nigra, Festuca vivipara, Agrostis canina, A. stolonifera, Juncus bulbosus, Thalictrum alpinum and Viola palustris.

The available data do not indicate any well-marked sub-divisions within the community, though there is a suggestion that Racomitrium lanuginosum, Nardus and Narthecium might define one sub-group, with Philonotis fontana, Calliergon sarmentosum, Carex demissa and Pinguicula vulgaris preferential to another.