The National Vegetation Classification (NVC) has become the standard classification used for describing vegetation in Britain. It is a 'phytosociological' classification, classifying vegetation solely on the basis of the plant species of which it is composed. The NVC breaks down each broad vegetation type into communities. Many of these communities contain two or more sub-communities, in a few cases further divided into variants.

The second volume of British Plant Communities (Rodwell, 1991) provides a detailed account of 38 mire communities and 22 heath communities, with information on their composition, structure and distribution. The summary descriptions here are derived directly from the full accounts prepared by John Rodwell but are in no way a substitute for them. Rather they are intended as an aide-memoire to assist surveyors in the field or for anyone else wishing to familiarise themselves with the overall scheme of classification for mires and heaths.

 This is a reprint edition (with no amendments) of ISBN 1-86107-526-X.