Lightly managed hay meadows and pastures on both basicline and acidocline, nutrient-rich permanently or temporarily humid soils of middle European lowlands, hills and low mountains under Atlantic or sub-Atlantic climatic conditions, from the British Isles and northwestern Iberia east to the Baltic States, the western Carpathians and Illyrian region. Among the characteristic plant components of the highly diverse communities forming this unit are Caltha palustris, Cirsium palustre, Cirsium rivulare, Cirsium oleraceum, Carduus personata, Telekia speciosa, Epilobium parviflorum, Lychnis flos-cuculi, Mentha aquatica, Scirpus sylvaticus, Stachys palustris, Bromus racemosus, Crepis paludosa, Fritillaria meleagris, Geum rivale, Polygonum bistorta, Senecio aquaticus, Trollius europaeus, Lotus uliginosus, Trifolium dubium, Equisetum palustre, Equisetum telmateia, Myosotis palustris, Deschampsia cespitosa, Angelica sylvestris, Oenanthe silaifolia, Gratiola officinalis, Inula salicina, Succisella inflexa, Dactylorhiza majalis, Ranunculus acris, Rumex acetosa, Holcus lanatus, Alopecurus pratensis, Festuca pratensis, Festuca gigantea, Juncus effusus, Juncus filiformis and Carex cespitosa.
Wet meadows of montane areas of the higher Hercynian ranges, the Jura and the Alpine piedmont rich in Trollius europaeus and Cirsium rivulare, replacing the cabbage thistle meadows of unit E3.412 at higher altitudes. Their cortège includes Cirsium oleraceum, Caltha palustris, Lychnis flos-cuculi, Myosotis palustris, Geum rivale, Festuca pratensis, Galium album, Ranunculus acris, Holcus lanatus and, sometimes, in particular in the Swiss Jura, Fritillaria meleagris.