This dry grassland type is dominated by the short narrow-leaved tussock-forming grass Festuca valesiaca. It contains several species typical of dry areas of northern and central Bohemia which are absent in Moravia, e.g. Anthericum liliago, Erysimum crepidifolium and Lactuca perennis. It mostly develops on steep, south-facing slopes with shallow soil and near outcrops of limestone, calcareous shale, basalt or other base-rich rocks. On upper parts of large slopes, this type of steppe vegetation may have existed continuously since the Late Glacial, maintained by combination of factors such as local dry climate and grazing. At some other sites, these grasslands are secondary, occupying potential habitats of thermophilous oak forests. This association occurs in dry areas of northern and central Bohemia.