Ben Lui

General site character

• Inland water bodies (Standing water, Running water) (0.1%)
  
• Bogs, Marshes, Water fringed vegetation, Fens (17%)
  
• Heath, Scrub, Maquis and Garrigue, Phygrana (25%)
  
• Humid grassland, Mesophile grassland (25%)
  
• Alpine and sub-Alpine grassland (20.7%)
  
• Broad-leaved deciduous woodland (0.1%)
  
• Coniferous woodland (0.1%)
  
• Inland rocks, Screes, Sands, Permanent Snow and ice (12%)
  

Annex I habitats that are a primary reason for selection of this site

• 4080 Sub-Arctic Salix spp. scrub

  Ben Lui supports W20 Salix lapponum – Luzula sylvatica scrub, occurring on highly calcareous schist at moderate altitude. The scrub is well-developed on an extensive series of schistose crags and rock ledges. Unlike at most other sites, the dominant species is whortle-leaved willow Salix myrsinites. This variant also occurs at Inchnadamph (where by contrast the scrub occurs at low altitude on limestone). Net-leaved willow S. reticulata is frequent, mainly associated with areas of calcareous grassland. Mountain willow S. arbuscula, tea-leaved willow S. phylicifolia and downy willow S. lapponum are also represented. The scrub has a rich flora and is associated with 6430 Hydrophilous tall herb fringe communities of plains and of the montane to alpine levels and 6170 Alpine and subalpine calcareous grasslands.

• 6170 Alpine and subalpine calcareous grasslands

  Ben Lui is one of four sites selected in the Breadalbane Hills of the southern Highlands to represent high-altitude Alpine and subalpine calcareous grasslands. Ben Lui has extensive areas of the open hill sub-type CG12 Festuca ovina – Alchemilla alpina – Silene acaulis dwarf-herb community. CG14 Dryas octopetala – Silene acaulis ledge community also occurs in profusion on steep, rocky ground. This supports an outstanding arctic-alpine flora, including alpine bartsia Bartsia alpina, mossy saxifrage Saxifraga hypnoides, cyphel Minuartia sedoides, rock sedge Carex rupestris, and hair sedge C. capillaris. The quality and diversity of this community and the range of transitions to other habitat types are similar to those on Ben Lawers, but less extensive.

• 6430 Hydrophilous tall herb fringe communities of plains and of the montane to alpine levels

  Ben Lui in the Breadalbane range in the southern Scottish Highlands is representative of hydrophilous tall herb fringe communities occurring on calcareous schist up to high altitude. Ben Lui has a large number of examples of this habitat type, distributed widely across the site. Structure and function are well-developed and the communities are diverse. Characteristic species include roseroot Sedum rosea, wild angelica Angelica sylvestris, melancholy thistle Cirsium heterophyllum and globeflower Trollius europaeus, and a number of rare arctic-alpines, including alpine bartsia Bartsia alpina, alpine saw-wort Saussurea alpina, the lady’s-mantle Alchemilla wichurae, black alpine-sedge Carex atrata and rock sedge C. rupestris. Together with Glen Coe, Ben Lui represents the habitat type in the wetter and more oceanic west, where there is a greater frequency of species associated with wetter silts and dripping ledges, such as marsh hawk’s-beard Crepis paludosa, grass-of-Parnassus Parnassia palustris and bog orchid Hammarbya palustris. There is also a great luxuriance of ferns, including oak fern Gymnocarpium dryopteris, lemon-scented fern Oreopteris limbosperma, beech fern Phegopteris connectilis, holly-fern Polystichum lonchitis and hard shield-fern Polystichum aculeatum. In places hydrophilous tall herb fringe communities occur in an intimate mosaic with 4080 Sub-Arctic Salix spp. scrub, and there are well-developed transitions between them. Most of the species of Ben Lawers are present, except for some of the rarer montane species. The extent of the habitat type is at Ben Lui is similar to that on Ben Lawers.

• 7240 Alpine pioneer formations of the Caricion bicoloris-atrofuscae  * Priority feature

  Ben Lui is one of three sites in the Breadalbane range in the southern Scottish Highlands representing the range of variation of alpine pioneer formations up to high altitude. High-altitude mires are frequent on the site and include both open types with M11 Carex demissa– Saxifraga aizoides mire and more closed types with M12 Carex saxatilis mire. The rare false sedge Kobresia simpliciuscula, Scottish asphodel Tofieldia pusilla, chestnut rush Juncus castaneus and two-flowered rush Juncus biglumis are present. The rare flush bryophytes Catoscopium nigritum, Meesia uliginosa, Timmia norvegica, Harpanthus flotovianus and Tritomaria polita are well-represented.

• 8210 Calcareous rocky slopes with chasmophytic vegetation

  Ben Lui represents Calcareous rocky slopes with chasmophytic vegetation in an oceanic climate at the western end of the Breadalbane range. There is a wide band of calcareous schist forming crags at altitudes of 460-760 m on northerly slopes. The flora includes a number of rare montane calcicoles including mountain avens Dryas octopetala, hoary whitlowgrass Draba norvegica, mountain bladder-fern Cystopteris montana, alpine woodsia Woodsia alpina and net-leaved willow Salix reticulata.

Annex I habitats present as a qualifying feature, but not a primary reason for selection of this site

• 4010 Northern Atlantic wet heaths with Erica tetralix
• 6150 Siliceous alpine and boreal grasslands
• 6230 Species-rich Nardus grasslands, on silicious substrates in mountain areas (and submountain areas in Continental Europe)  * Priority feature
• 7230 Alkaline fens
• 8110 Siliceous scree of the montane to snow levels (Androsacetalia alpinae and Galeopsietalia ladani)
• 8220 Siliceous rocky slopes with chasmophytic vegetation

Annex II species that are a primary reason for selection of this site

• Not Applicable

Annex II species present as a qualifying feature, but not a primary reason for site selection

• Not Applicable