This association occurs in springs under canopy openings of beech and spruce forests. Both the herb and moss layers are well developed. Soils tend to be muddy with high admixture of undecomposed humus and litter. The vegetation of this association is better supplied by ground water than that of the association Caricetum remotae, and it more often occurs at higher altitudes. Its localities are concentrated in the submontane to montane areas of the Czech Republic.