The results of an investigation into the lichen vegetation associated with vascular plant communities in the Scottish Highlands are presented. Most lichen species rarely occur in homogeneous stands of vascular plant vegetation, either occurring around the edges of recognized National Vegetation Classification (NVC) communities or in small-scale mosaics with them. However, some lichen species have a high fidelity to the more open NVC communities. The problems associated with applying NVC survey techniques to lichen assemblages are described and discussed.