Title
Dinaric mountain pine scrub (Pinus mugo) with Lonicera formanekiana, Gentiana dinarica, Phyteuma pseudorbiculare, Daphne blagayana, Daphne oleoides, Potentilla montenegrina, Cicerbita pancicii, Acer heldreichii subsp. macropterum, Geum bulgaricum on carbonate rocks
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Western Dinarics (Slovenia: Trnovski gozd, Snežnik); Croatia; Bosnia-Herzegovina to the eastern Dinarics in Montenegro and Kosovo (Prokletije), not shown on the map
area frequency
12 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Pinetum mugo Horvat 1938 (s. l.), Genisto punctatae-Pinetum mugo Fukarek 1969, Wulfenio-Pinetum M. Jankovic & Bogojevic 1967.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
The three-layered scrub-communities are formed from Central European and boreal species. Species of the Vaccinio-Piceetea and the Erico-Pinetea are frequent. In the west a number of south-east European-Illyrian elements are also added, while in the east Balkan species are included. The shrub layer is dominated by Pinus mugo, and many shrubs are added with a small degree of coverage; the herb layer is species-rich, with many cryophilous species. The moss layer is poorly to well developed and formed from acidophilous cryophilous mosses and lichens.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
(Acer heldreichii subsp. macropterum)
Shrub layer
Pinus mugo, Lonicera caerulea, Lonicera formanekiana, Lonicera nigra, Sorbus chamaemespilus, Sorbus mougeotii, Salix glabra, Salix waldsteiniana, Salix silesiaca, Juniperus communis subsp. alpina, Juniperus sabina, Rhododendron hirsutum, Cotoneaster integerrimus, Cotoneaster tomentosus, Berberis vulgaris, Daphne blagayana, Daphne oleoides
Herb layer
Homogyne sylvestris, Aposeris foetida, Knautia dinarica, Hypericum richeri subsp. grisebachii, Doronicum austriacum, Geranium coeruleatum, Lilium bosniacum, Gentiana dinarica, Arato scopoliana, Primula veris subsp. columnae, Potentilla montenegrina, Cicerbita pancicii, Phyteuma pseudorbiculare, Geum bulgaricum
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Cetraria islandica, Cladonia squamosa, Cladina rangiferina, Plagiothecium undulatum, Rhytidiadelphus loreus, Hylocomium splendens
Diagnostically important species
Pinus mugo, Lonicera caerulea, Lonicera formanekiana; Aconitum lycoctonum subsp. vulparia, Arctostaphylos alpinus, Doronicum columnae, Pimpinella serbica, Saxifraga rotundifolia, Soldanella alpina, Wulfenia carinthiaca, Phyteuma pseudorbiculare, Geum bulgaricum, Leucanthemum waldsteinii, Bruckenthalia spiculifolia, Jasione orbiculata, Cicerbita pancicii, Daphne oleoides
Ecological variants
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Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
Vicariants of the Snečnik and Velebit mountains (Homogyne sylvestris); Vicariants of the Piva and Prokletije mountains (Wulfenia caranthiaca).
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Fagetum subalpinum s.l., Fagetum montanum s.l., Abieti-Fagetum s.l., Piceetum subalpinum s.l., Piceetum montanum s.l., Pinetum heldreichii s.l., Pinetum peuces s.l., Seslerio-Fagetum s.l. (on extremely warm exposures in the oro-Mediterranean zone).
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
alpine vegetation (B54), spruce forests (D38, D39), species-poor beech forests (F87), species-rich beech forests (F143, F144, F150, F158, F159, F160), sub-Mediterranean pine forests (K6).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
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grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Mountain meadows: e.g. Edraiantho-Caricetum firmae, Seslerio-Caricetum humilis, Carici laevis-Helianthemetum alpestris.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
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settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
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Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
mountain slopes, mountain plateaux
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
subalpine; 1400 to 2200 m, mostly between 1500 and 1900 m, in the eastern Dinarics only up to 2200 m (for instance Maglic) and in the western Dinarics only up to 1700 m (for instance Snežnik); influences forest limit around 300 to 600 m lower due to anthropo-zoogenous
Geology (bedrock)
carbonate (Cretaceous, Jurassic, Triassic) and siliceous rock (Palaeozoic)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
humus-carbonate soils, ranker; (chromic cambisols; chromic luvisols; lithic leptosols)
soil texture
grouany, stony, loamy; light soils
soil moisture, water balance
moist to fresh
soil reaction
acidic, weakly acidic
soil fertility
oligotrophic, oligo-mesotrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI(X), X
average annual temperature
2-5 °C
average annual precipitation
2000-3000 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
15-18 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
-5 to -2 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
Climatic conditions are extreme (distinct continental climate, very short growth period, thick snow layer in winter).
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Severely damaged by man.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
No details
causes of endangerment
Tourism.
required measures for protection and restitution
No details
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Yugoslavia (Montenegro, Kosovo); distributed from the westernmost Dinarics in Slovenia (Trnovski gozd, Snežnik) to the easternmost in Montenegro and Kosovo (Prokletije).
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Blečić 1958; Horvat, Glavač & Ellenberg 1974; Tregubov 1957
Compiled by
Z. Neuhäuslová based on documents by M. Zupančič
