Abstract
Fifty years after the description of the grassland association Artemisio campestris-Corynephoretum canescentis, the current state and diversity of vascular plants and lichens were studied. It is a very local community known mostly from the Middle Vltava Region.
The grasslands occur on shallow sandy soils arising from the granodiorite bedrock and are concentrated at the edges of pine forests and pastures. Almost one half of the original localities have been destroyed.
Fourteen localities were investigated in detail. The vegetation has been changing more or less to another type of grassland vegetation because of the absence of management, but several sites are still well preserved and occupied by typical communities.
Acidophilous steppes, as described originally, are characterized by the presence of psammophilous plants (e.g. Aira caryophyllea, Corynephorus canescens, Helichrysum arenarium), high diversity and abundance of Cladonia species and, in a comparison to other similar grasslands in the region, by the presence of many xerothermic plants (e.g.
Chondrilla juncea, Petrorhagia prolifera, Veronica prostrata).