Title
Northwest Iberian supra-Mediterranean Quercus pyrenaica-forests with Holcus mollis
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
North-east and east Portugal (Sierra de Nogueira, Sierra de Bornes); north-west Spain: Carpetana occidental, sector Leones and Orensano-Sanabriense (Sierra de la Culebra)
area frequency
7 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Holco mollis-Quercetum pyrenaicae Braun-Blanquet, P. Silva & Rozeira 1956.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Quite open, moderately high Quercus pyrenaica forests with numerous acidophytic forest species.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Quercus pyrenaica
Shrub layer
Crataegus monogyna, Erica arborea, Ilex aquifolium, Cytisus scoparius
Lianas
Hedera helix, Lonicera periclymenum
Herb layer
Ajuga pyramidalis, Erythronium dens-canis, Holcus mollis, Luzula forsteri, Physospermum cornubiense, Omphalodes nitida
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
No details
Diagnostically important species
Quercus pyrenaica; Holcus mollis, Ajuga pyramidalis, Erythronium dens-canis, Physospermum cornubiense, Omphalodes nitida
Ecological variants
North-west Spanish Quercus pyrenaica forests of 3 types: a) typical form with Quercus robur; b) meso-Mediterranean form with Quercus suber; c) supra-Mediterranean form with Erica australis.
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
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Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Alluvial forests: Fraxino angustifoliae-Quercetum pyrenaicae, Salicetum lambertiano-salviifoliae, Galio broteriani-Alnetum glutinosae [from Portugal].
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
oro-Mediterranean scrubs (C31, C32), acidophilous oak forests (F14, F23, F24, F25), Quercus pyrenaica-forests (G67, G70), Quercus ilex subsp. rotundifolia-forests (J1, J5), cork oak forests (J23, J24), lowland and alluvial forests (U29).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Broom scrub: Cytiso scopari-Genistetum polygaliphyllae (in the area of Leon and Orense-Sanabrian), Cytiso striati-Genistetum polygaliphyllae (Extremadurian and Lusitanian, Orense-Sanabrian); Genisto floridae-Cytisetum scopari (in the region west of Toledo) with Cytisus striatus, Cytisus scoparius, Genista florida, Pteridium aquilinum.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
On shallow soils of heaths: Genistello tridentatae-Ericetum aragonensis with Erica australis, Genista tridentata, Halimium lasianthum subsp. alyssoides, Erica cinerea; pastures: Festuco amplae-Cynosuretum cristatae.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Crop agriculture on deeper soils.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
No details
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
mountainous country
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
supra-Mediterranean; 500-1000 m
Geology (bedrock)
granite (Palaeozoic), Tertiary
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
acidic, base-deficient brown soils, ranker; (dystric cambisols; leptosols)
soil texture
stony, sandy to clayey
soil moisture, water balance
fresh to moderately dry
soil reaction
moderately acidic
soil fertility
oligo-mesotrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
IV(V), IV(VI)
average annual temperature
8-13 °C
average annual precipitation
1000 to >1600 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
16-21 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
0 to 4 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
humid
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
No details
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
No details
causes of endangerment
Fires and afforestation with pines.
required measures for protection and restitution
Preservation of semi-natural stands.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Portugal: Serra da Estrêla national park, Montesinho and Alvão, nature reserve Serra da Malcata; Spain: Maragatería, Sierra de la Culebra and Sierra de Cabrera.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Braun-Blanquet, Pinto da Silva & Rozeira 1956; Díaz González & Penas Merino 1984; Peinado Lorca & Rivas-Martínez (Ed.) 1987; Penas Merino, García González & Herrero Cembranos 1995; Rivas-Martínez 1974a; Rivas-Martínez 1987
Compiled by
V. Voggenreiter based on documents by S. Rivas-Martínez, completed by A. Penas Merino and L. Herrero Cembranos, C. Pinto Gomes
