Synonymy

Includes Fumarietum officinalis R.Tx. 1950 and Fumarietum bastardii Br.-Bl. 1950.

Constant species

Capsella bursa-pastoris, Chenopodium album, Polygonum aviculare, Senecio vulgaris, Stellaria media.

Rare species

Fumaria bastardii.

Physiognomy

The Stellaria media-Capsella bursa-pastoris community is an annual vegetation type dominated by mixtures of Stellaria media, Capsella bursa-pastoris, Senecio vulgaris, Polygonum vulgare and Chenopodium album. Also more or less frequent overall but rather unevenly represented in the various sub-communities are Poa annua, Elymus repens, Chamomilla suaveolens and Urtica urens. More occasional are Sonchus asper, Cirsium arvense and Polygonum persicaria. Scarcer associates in the community include Rumex obtusifolius, Convolvulus arvensis, Solanum nigrum and Avena fatua.

Sub-communities

Typical sub-community. Apart from the species mentioned above, there is little that is distinctive about the vegetation here. Occasionally, Sinapis arvensis, Sisymbrium officinale and Lolium perenne are seen.

Matricaria perforata-Poa annua sub-community. Poa annua and, more particularly, Matricaria perforata are preferentially frequent in this sub-community along with common Agrostis stolonifera.

Fumaria officinalis-Euphorbia helioscopa sub-community. A number of quite common community associates, like Elymus repens, Veronica persica and Lamium purpureum are especially frequent here, but more striking is the preferential occurrence of Fumaria officinalis and Euphorbia helioscopa. More occasional are E. peplus, Sonchus oleraceus, Veronica agrestis, Mercurialis annua, Polygonum nodosum and Geranium dissectum. Around the coastal lowlands of western Britain, this vegetation provides a locus for the nationally rare Fumaria bastardii and, at scattered localities in England and Wales, for Chenopodium urbicum, probably an introduced plant.