Holcus mollis
Ecology
A creeping, rhizomatous perennial of well-drained acidic or neutral soils, found in Quercus and Betula woods, open conifer plantations, hedge banks, on heathland, and under Pteridium. It is capable of spreading into damper grassland and is locally a troublesome weed of arable land. H. mollis tolerates occasional mowing or light grazing but is a poor competitor with more vigorous grasses. 0-580 m (Greygarth Fell, W. Lancashire).
Status
Trends
There has been no appreciable change in the range of H. mollis since the 1962 Atlas.
World Distribution
European Temperate element.
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Broad Habitats
Light (Ellenberg): 6
Moisture (Ellenberg): 6
Reaction (Ellenberg): 3
Nitrogen (Ellenberg): 3
Salt Tolerance (Ellenberg): 0
January Mean Temperature (Celsius): 3.4
July Mean Temperature (Celsius): 14.5
Annual Precipitation (mm): 1101
Height (cm): 100
Perennation - primary
Life Form - primary
Woodiness
Clonality - primary
Count of 10km squares in Great Britain: 2537
Count of 10km squares in Ireland: 575
Count of 10km squares in the Channel Isles: 11
Atlas Change Index: 0.8
Weighted Changed Factor: 6
Weighted Change Factor Confidence (90%)
JNCC Designations
Atlas text references
Atlas (394c)
.
1988. Comparative Plant Ecology.
.
1986. Atlas of north European vascular plants north of the Tropic of Cancer. 3 vols.
.
1965. Vergleichende Chorologie der zentraleuropäischen Flora. Volume 1. 2 vols.
.
1956. Biological Flora of the British Isles. No. 54. Holcus mollis L. Journal of Ecology. 44:272-280.