In Europe, semi-natural nutrient-poor ecosystems such as sand grasslands and heathlands have shown extreme declines in surface area and species richness within the last century. The remaining sites are hence of high conservation value. This study analysed the vascular plant species inventory of established and recently restored heathlands and sand grasslands in the southwest of Luxembourg. Analyses to explain differences in vegetation composition between “old” (remnant sites or sites restored a long time ago) and “new” (recently restored) sites in relation to environmental variables were carried out with DCAs and ANOVA/Mann-Whitney-U tests, respectively. The vegetation of old heathlands had few character species of typical heathland communities (Calluno-Ulicetea, Nardetalia), whereas new heathland sites were preponderantly marked by taxa of meso- or eutrophic grasslands and ruderal communities. New heathland sites mainly differed from old sites by higher soil phosphorus contents. Sand grassland vegetation ...