General characteristics
Heath, Scrub, Maquis and Garrigue, Phygrana (40%)
Humid grassland, Mesophile grassland (60%)
Habitats that are a primary reason for selection of this site
Temperate Atlantic wet heaths with Erica ciliaris and Erica tetralix * Priority feature
Carrine Common has a large area of Dorset heath Erica ciliaris and is important for the representation of the full geographical distribution of temperate Atlantic wet heaths. This site also takes account of the ecological variation of the habitat type, as E. ciliaris at Carrine Common occurs on soils that appear to be more free-draining than is usually the case in Dorset and elsewhere in Cornwall. The occurrence of this habitat type under such conditions is thought to reflect the highly oceanic climate of Cornwall.
Habitats present as a qualifying feature, but not a primary reason for selection of this site
European dry heaths