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(1) The Shetland Islands lie between Scotland and Norway and this study describes the vegetation types found there with reference to both British/Continental and Scandinavian communities. (2) A conspectus of the main plant communities was obtained by recording vegetation plots from fifteen of the islands, from shingle beaches, sand dunes, salt-marshes, wet meadows, grasslands, blanket peat and heaths. (3) Sixty-five noda were identified and their general characteristics described. These noda were assigned to both recognized and new taxa within seventeen phytosociological classes. (4) A new association of grazed low altitude blanket bogs, the Empetrum- Rhytidiadelphus loreus Association is outlined. (5) The factors influencing plant and vegetation distribution in Shetland are discussed: geographical position and physical isolation from seed sources provide the historical basis. (6) While climatic and topographic interaction on the flora have determined the natural vegetation communities, the impact of land use, particularly grazing, has been to confine these communities to areas inaccessible to sheep. The majority of Shetland's vegetation composition has been determined by grazing. (7) The absence of comparative taxonomic studies, the Islands' geographical position and climate, the influence of salt-spray and intensive land-use produce a merging of community boundaries and difficulties in delimiting discrete associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]