Title
Northeast Iberian supra-Mediterranean Quercus faginea-forests with Viola willkommi
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Spain: Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia-Tarragona, Maestrazgo
area frequency
20 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Violo willkommii-Quercetum fagineae Braun-Blanquet & O. Bolós 1950 (corr. von Rivas-Martínez, Bascones, T.E. Díaz, F. Prieto & J. Loidi 1991 in Violo-Quercetum valentinae).
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
In the climax stage dense, two-layered Quercus faginea forests. Buxus sempervirens dominates the shrub layer, and lianas and herbs are also present.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Quercus faginea, admixed Acer monspessulanum, Pinus nigra
Shrub layer
Buxus sempervirens, Amelanchier ovalis, Crataegus monogyna, Cytisophyllum sessilifolium, Genista hispanica, Viburnum lantana, Cornus sanguinea, Berberis vulgaris subsp. seroi, Rosa agrestis
Lianas
Lonicera etrusca, Hedera helix, Rubia peregrina
Herb layer
Viola willkommi, Helleborus foetidus, Hepatica nobilis, Geranium sanguineum, Teucrium chamaedrys, Paeonia officinalis subsp. microcarpa, Bromus erectus, Cephalanthera longifolia
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
No details
Diagnostically important species
Quercus faginea, Cytisophyllum sessilifolium, Genista hispanica, Berberis vulgaris subsp. seroi; Viola willkommi
Ecological variants
No details
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
a) buxetosum sempervirentis: typical type in the northern area; b) rusco-hederetosum: in the southern area with Ruscus aculeatus, Hedera helix; meso-Mediterranean type with Quercus coccifera.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
No details
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
pine forests (C29), oak-mixed oak forests (F33), species-rich beech forests (F137), mixed downy oak forests (G41), Quercus pyrenaica-forests (G64), Quercus faginea-forests (G73), Quercus ilex subsp. rotundifolia-forests (J4, J8, J9, J12), holm oak forests (J14), pine forests (K5), open Juniperus thurifera woodlands (K28).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Forestry; thornwood bush and box scrub: Corno sanguinei-Berberidetum seroi of the Prunetalia.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Dwarf shrub-rich pasture land (Brometalia, Rosmarinetalia): thyme communities: Teucrio aragonense-Thymetum fontqueri; pastures: Brachypodietum foenicoidis, Plantagini-Aphyllanthetum; Plantagini-Euphrasietum pectinatae on mesophilous sites.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Cereal cultivation.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
---
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
sunny lower slopes of mountains
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
meso-supra-Mediterranean; 500-1300 m
Geology (bedrock)
limestone (Tertiary, Cretaceous, Permian)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
calcareous base-rich brown soils and parabrown soils; (calcaric, humic, vertic cambisols; vertic luvisols)
soil texture
loamy to clayey
soil moisture, water balance
moderately dry, partly periodically dry
soil reaction
neutral to alkaline
soil fertility
mesotrophic (eutrophic?)
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
IV6, IV(VI)
average annual temperature
10-13 °C
average annual precipitation
500-800 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
19-22 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
2-5 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
subhumid climate.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Only small sized young forest stands remain preserved.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
No details
causes of endangerment
Afforestation with pines, grazing, crop agriculture.
required measures for protection and restitution
Preservation of semi-natural remnants and regeneration of degraded forests.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
No details
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
No details
Most important references (author, year)
Braun-Blanquet & Bolòs de 1950; Folch I Guillèn 1981; Folch I Guillèn & Franquesa 1984; Loidi Arregui, Biurrun Galarraga & Herrera Gallastegui 1997; Loidi Arregui, Díaz González & Herrera Gallastegui 1997; Peinado Lorca & Rivas-Martínez (Ed.) 1987; Rivas-Martínez 1987; Rivas-Martínez, Bascones, Díaz González, Fernández-González & Loidi Arregui 1991a; Rivas-Martínez, Bascones, Díaz González, Fernández-González & Loidi Arregui 1991b
Compiled by
A. Penas Merino and L. Herrero Cembranos; J. Loidi; V. Voggenreiter based on documents by S. Rivas-Martínez
