Included here is a zone that extends from the northwest and northern parts of the Iberian Peninsula (including the Pyrenees) north to include Great Britain and Ireland and on to the western shores of Norway as far north as the islands of Hitra and Froga. On the European mainland the Armorican Massif, the Aquitanian and Parisian Basins, the Central Massif, and most of the German lowlands are included.

British Coastal Vegetated Shingle

In the British National Vegetation Classification system (Rodwell 2000) only one shingle community is recognised. This is described as a Rumex crispus - Glaucium flavum community, and forms an open assemblage on bare shingle. It is typically dominated by Glaucium flavum (yellow horned-poppy) and Rumex crispus (curled dock) but Lathyrus japonicus (sea pea) can become frequent in south-east England. In Britain this vegetation occurs in many localities on the south and east coasts of England, and in scattered localities in the Isles of Scilly, Wales, northwest England and southwest Scotland. Other species may include Ammophila arenaria, Arrhenatherum elatius, Atriplex prostrate, Beta vulgaris, Cerastium fontanum, Cirsium arvense, Cirsium vulgare, Crambe maritima, Crithmum maritimum, Elymus farctus, Elymus pycnanthus, Euphorbia paralias, Festuca rubra, Geranium robertianum, Glaucium flavum, Holcus lanatus, Honkenya peploides, Hypochaeris radicata, Lactuca serriola, Lathyrus japonicus, Leontodon taraxoides, Lolium perenne ssp. perenne, Matricaria maritima, Picris echioides, Plantago coronopus, Plantago lanceolata, Potentilla anserine, Rumex crispus, Sagina apetala, Sedum acre, Senecio jacobaea, Senecio viscosus, Silene maritima, Solanum dulcamara, Sonchus arvensis and Sonchus asper. However, Crambe maritima is now classed as nationally rare in the UK.

References

Fuller, R.M. 1975. The Culbin shingle bar and its vegetation. Transactions & Proceedings of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh, 42: 293-305.

Fuller, R.M. 1987. Vegetation Establishment on Shingle Beaches. Journal of Ecology, 75: 1077-1089.

Oliver, F. W. 1912. The shingle beach as a plant habitat. New Phytologist, 11: 73-99

Packham  J. R. 2001. Ecology and Geomorphology of Coastal Shingle. Westbury Academic & Scientific Publishing.

Randall, R. E. 1989. Shingle habitats in the British Isles. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 101: 2-18.

Randall, R. E. & Scott, G. A. M. 1997. Communities of Sand and Shingle Beaches. In: Ecosystems of the World. 2C. Dry Coastal Ecosystems. Elsevier.

Scott, E. J. 1963. The Ecology of Shingle Beach Plants. Journal of Ecology, 51: 517-527.

Scott, E. J. 1965. The shingle succession at Dungeness. Journal of Ecology, 53: 21-31.

Rodwell, J. S. 2000. British Plant Communities Volume 5 - Maritime communities and vegetation of open habitats. Cambridge University Press.