Abstract
1. The vegetation and soil types found on the Derbyshire limestone have been described in terms of the catena concept. 2. A sequence of plant associations from open calcareous grassland to moorland and of soil types from rendzina to podsol was recognized. 3. The catena is interpreted as a succession resulting from differential rates of stabilization and leaching. 4. The distribution of indicator species in relation to edaphic conditions and its bearing on the calcicole-calcifuge problem is discussed in the light of some preliminary experiments and analyses.