This association includes peatlands dominated by Picea abies, which on very wet peat soils form open low-growing stands, often with Betula pubescens. The herb layer is characterized by different species of Vaccinium, the grasses Avenella flexuosa, Calamagrostis villosa and Molinia caerulea and bog specialists. The moss layer has a cover of 80–100% in most stands and is dominated by peat mosses and other mire species. This association occurs on flat land and in shallow depressions in mountain areas, usually at the margins of open mires. In the Czech Republic this association has been reported from the mountain ranges along the state border within the Bohemian Massif.