Title
Northwest Iberian supra-Mediterranean Quercus pyrenaica-forests with Genista falcata
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
North-eastern Portugal: Trás-os-Montes, Serra de Estrela; Spain: province Salamanca, Castilian-Leon; sector Orensano-Sanabriense and Salmantino
area frequency
14 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Genisto falcatae-Quercetum pyrenaicae Penas & Díaz 1985.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Three-layered Quercus pyrenaica forests of average height with numerous acidophytic species.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Quercus pyrenaica
Shrub layer
Genista falcata, Halimium umbellatum, Erica arborea
Herb layer
Melampyrum pratense, Viola riviniana, Festuca elegans, Helictotrichon sulcatum, Luzula forsteri, Teucrium scorodonia, Pteridium aquilinum
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
No details
Diagnostically important species
Quercus pyrenaica; Genista falcata; Festuca elegans
Ecological variants
No details
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
No details
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Alluvial forests: Galio broteriani-Alnetum glutinosae, Salicetum lambertiano-salviifoliae, Fraxino angustifoliae-Quercetum pyrenaicae.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
acidophilous oak forests (F23), Quercus pyrenaica-forests (G65, G70), Quercus ilex subsp. rotundifolia-forests (J5, J9), cork oak forests (J23, J24, J25), lowland and alluvial forests (U29).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Pine-forestry; Retama and broom scrub (Genestion floridae) as degradation stages of oak forest: Genisto hystricis-Cytisetum multiflori with Cytisus scoparius, Cytisus multiflorus, Genista hystrix, Pteridium aquilinum; degraded scrub: Genisto hystricis-Echinospartetum lusitanici on rocky soils with Echinospartum ibericum, Cistus laurifolius, Calluna vulgaris, Santolina rosmarinifolia.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Heath scrub (Genistello tridentatae-Ericetum aragonensis) and Cistaceae scrub (Cistion laurifolii) on soils tending to podzolise; pastures: Triseto ovati-Agrostietum truncatulae; Corynephoro canescentis-Leucanthemopsietum pulverulentae with species such as Agrostis castellana, Dactylis glomerata subap. hispanica, Aira praecox.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Only 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; 600-1200 m
Geology (bedrock)
base-deficient siliceous rock; (Palaeozoic, Precambrian)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
acidic, base-deficient brown soils; (stony humic and lithic dystric cambisols; lithic leptosols)
soil texture
stony, loamy-sandy
soil moisture, water balance
moderately dry to dry
soil reaction
strongly to moderately acidic
soil fertility
oligotrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
IV(VI)
average annual temperature
8-12 °C
average annual precipitation
600-1000 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
20-22 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
3-5 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
subhumid climate.
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, plantation with pine.
required measures for protection and restitution
No details
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Portugal: Parque Natural de Montesinho, Reserva Natural da Serra da Malcata and Serra da Nogueira, Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Díaz González & Penas Merino 1984; Fernández-González 1988; Navarro Andres, Sánchez Anta, Gonzáles Zapatero, Gallego Martin, Elena Rosello & Valle Gutierrez 1987; Peinado Lorca & Rivas-Martínez (Ed.) 1987; Penas Merino, García González & Herrero Cembranos 1995; Rivas-Martínez 1987
Compiled by
A. Penas Merino and L. Herrero Cembranos; C. Pinto Gomes; V. Voggenreiter based on documents by S. Rivas-Martínez
