Title
Larch-pine forests (Pinus cembra, Larix decidua) in the Alps, partly with Picea abies, Pinus mugo or Pinus rotandata, with Alnus alnobetula, partly alternating with Rhododendron scrub (Rhododendron ferrugineum) or Juniperus communis subsp. alpina
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Whole Alpine arc from the Maritime Alps as far as to the Fischbacher Alps; Central Alps: France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria; Limestone Alps: especially plateau sites, for instance Dachstein, Totes Gebirge (not mappable in this scale)
area frequency
45 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Larici-Cembretum Ellenberg 1963, Vaccinio-Cembretum Oberdorfer 1962 (= Vaccinio-Pinetum cembrae (Pallm. & Haffter 1933) em. Oberdorfer 1962).
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Four-layered, open to dense closed dwarf shrub-rich arolla pine forests with changing proportions of Larix decidua and other conifers in the tree layer. In the subalpine area above the tree line alternating with alpine rose scrub in snow-rich locations and Juniperus communis subsp. alpina stands at snow-poor slopes. Immediately at the boundary to the alpine belt, often interdigitated with grassland communities, the Empetro-Vaccinietum occurs. In the area of ridges as well as on water-porous slopes, Alnus alnobetula dominates, usually together with tall herbs.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Pinus cembra, Larix decidua, in lower altitudes scattered Picea abies
Shrub layer
Pinus mugo, Rhododendron ferrugineum, Lonicera caerulea, Juniperus communis subsp. alpina, locally Alnus alnobetula, Rhododendron hirsutum
Lianas
(rarely Clematis alpina)
Herb layer
Vaccinium myrtillus, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Vaccinium uliginosum, Empetrum hermaphroditum, Calamagrostis villosa, Adenostyles alliariae, Ranunculus platanifolius, Oxalis acetosella, Trientalis europaea, Homogyne alpina, Deschampsia flexuosa, Linnaea borealis, Listera cordata; additionally Italy: Luzula sylvatica subsp. sieberi, Lycopodium annotinum
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Ptilium crista-castrensis, Hylocomium splendens, Rhytidiadelphus loreus, Plagiothecium undulatum, Pleurozium schreberi, Dicranum scoparium, Cetraria islandica, Cladonia spp.; additionally Italy: Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus, Barbilophozia lycopodioides
Diagnostically important species
Pinus cembra, Larix decidua; Linnaea borealis, Diphasiastrum alpinum, Cladonia uncialis, Cicerbita alpina, Streptopus amplexifolius, Achillea macrophylla (in the west)
Ecological variants
Formation type on silicate rock: with Calamagrostis villosa on southern slopes, mainly Larix decidua and only a small proportion of dwarf bushes; with Luzula luzuloides on steep southern slopes in the eastern intermediate Alps; with Alnus alnobetula and numerous tall herbs on sites long-covered by snow; with Cladoniae on stabilised coarse block gravel; with Sphagnum species, at the margin of raised bogs with Pinus mugo and without larch; formation types on carbonate rock: with Rhododendron hirsutum on high karst surfaces; with Asplenium as shaded rockfall block forests.
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
Largely uniform through the entire Alps (only a few species in the western and eastern Alps are different). Primarily at northern exposures and at southern slopes that become free of snow early in the year (rare in the eastern Alps) there are dwarf shrub heaths of the Junipero-Arctostaphyletum Br.-Bl. 1939; this drier form occurs in the French southern Alps with Larix (usually without Pinus cembra, also in Canton Valais/Switzerland). The drier-continental, thermophilous Cotoneastro integerrimae-Pinetum cembrae of the upper subalpine belt in the Valais at southern slopes on silicate. In addition enormous blocks and clints with shallow, podzolised soils, and in oceanically hued climates open arolla pine forests (Sphagno-Pinetum cembrae).
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Empetro-Vaccinietum; Adenostyletalia, Adenostylion alliariae, Alnetum viridis; high altitude Sphagnum bogs in the mosaic with Carex fusca spring swamps.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
alpine vegetation (A5), alpine grasslands (B43, B44), alpine rose-dwarf pine scrub (C20), fir and spruce forests (D29, D35), acid-soil oak forests (F17), species-poor and species-rich beech and mixed beech forests (F95, F132, F141, F142), downy oak forests (G39, G40), pine forests (K1), black pine forests (K8).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
With timber cutting and grazing, clearing leads to an outspread of alpine rose scrub and renewed forest formation via larch enriched forests.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Cattle and sheep grazing; Nardion.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
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settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
Rumicion alpini: Chenopodium bonus-henricus, Rumex pseudoalpinus, Senecio alpinus (in the west), Cirsium spinosissimum around alpine huts.
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
High-mountain regions, slopes and plateaux
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
subalpine; (exceptionally 1500) 1800-2400 m in the southern west Alps, 1900-2100 in the east Alps; the scrub communities on avalanche tracks, on Bergsturzhalden reaching as high as to montane altitudes
Geology (bedrock)
granodiorites, base-rich siliceous rock (Palaeozoic); limestone, dolomite, calcareous shale (Cretaceous, Jurassic, Triassic)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
on lime-poor substrate: humus-rich podzoles; mountain raw soils and ferrum-humus podzol; on lime: humus carbonate soils, subalpine humus carbonate soil; (orthic podzols; rendzic, dystric and lithic leptosols; histosols)
soil texture
stony, sandy, loamy
soil moisture, water balance
moderately dry to fresh
soil reaction
acidic, weakly acidic to neutral
soil fertility
oligo-mesotrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
X(IV), X(VI), X
average annual temperature
0,5-5 °C
average annual precipitation
880 to >2000 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
8-15 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
-11 to -6 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
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Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Often cleared and transformed into summer pastures (alpine meadows) (Nardetum alpigenum); damaged by recreational activities.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
large-area Sphagnum bogs
causes of endangerment
Tourism (e.g. ski sports), fire, emissions, overpopulation by livestock and game.
required measures for protection and restitution
In certain areas representative stands should be placed under protection and left to themselves; important function as protection forests; Limitation of recreational activities.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
France: Bois des Ayes, Belledonne, national park Vanoise; Switzerland: Aletsch forest, St. Moritz, Flüelapass, Grächen; Italy: national parks Stelvio, Gran Paradiso; Austria: Obergurgler valley, Wiegen forest (national park Hohe Tauern), national park Nockberge, Oberhauser pine forest, Radurschl valley (Upper Inn valley).
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Bono, Barbero & Poiron 1967; Braun-Blanquet (Hrsg.) 1939; Credaro & Pirola 1975; Ellenberg & Klötzli 1972; Frey 1995; Lingg 1986; Mayer 1974; Montacchini, Caramiello-Lomagno, Forneris & Piervittori 1982; Ozenda 1954; Pedrotti, Orsomando & Cortini Pedrotti 1974; Pignatti 1981; Schiechtl & Stern 1975; Schiechtl & Stern 1979; Schiechtl & Stern 1983; Wallnöfer 1993a
Compiled by
Niedbala referring to Wagner, completed by K. Zukrigl, F. Klötzli; Z. Neuhäuslová and F. Pedrotti
