Low woods and scrubs colonizing fens, marshy floodplains and fringes of lakes and ponds, dominated by large or medium sized shrubby willows, generally Salix aurita, Salix cinerea, Salix atrocinerea, Salix pentandra, alone or in association with Frangula alnus, Rhamnus catharticus, Alnus glutinosa or Betula pubescens, any of which may dominate the upper canopy. In boreal regions and on cold subboreal plateaux, small shrubs may dominate, e.g. dwarf Salix spp. associated with Betula humilis or Betula nana. Excludes boreal and subalpine lakeside scrub on well drained soils (F2).
Oligotrophic Salix aurita or Salix cinerea and Betula pubescens or Betula carpatica scrubs, rich in sphagnum, of bog edges and acid fens of nemoral Europe.