In McVean & Ratcliffe (1962) and Birks (1973) the various vegetational communities were classified using the Braun-Blanquet phytosociological approach then in use in continental Europe, however since then the National Vegetation Classification has become the accepted method of classifying vegetational communities in Britain. The floristic composition of the various communities is detailed in Rodwell (ed.) (1991a, 1991b, 1992, 1995, 2000), however since the publication of British Plant Communities use of the NVC has revealed that there are types of British vegetation which have still to be described. As a result, the JNCC commissioned a review of the coverage of the NVC which has produced information on the current coverage of the NVC; identified both the known and likely gaps in the plant community descriptions (Rodwell et al. (2000)). I have given the NVC communities that each fern is found in under the species details as well as a list of other ferns likely to be present.

The following is a list of the NVC communities, containing ferns, which have been recorded on Skye: