The alliance Corynephorion canescentis typifies open vegetation of inland sand dunes, dominated by the perennial tussock-forming grass Corynephorus canescens. Sand in such habitats is acidic and free of calcium carbonate, with very low humus content and low nutrient status. Vegetation is disturbed by aeolian re-distribution of sand, and in many places by human activities. If left undisturbed for several years, dunes become consolidated, resulting in the replacement of the open Corynephorus grasslands by more closed Festuca grasslands. The distribution range of the Corynephorion canescentis includes temperate Europe from East Anglia to the Ukraine, however, the alliance is most common in areas with suboceanic climate, especially in the lowlands from northern France through northern Germany to Poland.