Title
South Iberian supra-Mediterranean Quercus faginea-forests with Daphne laureola subsp. latifolia
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
South-east: scattered, small-scaled presence in the Baetic Cordilleras
area frequency
7 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Daphno latifoliae-Aceretum granatensis Rivas-Martínez 1965.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Light Quercus faginea forests with Acer species as well as thorny shrubs and herbaceous forest plants.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Quercus faginea, in combination with Acer granatense, Acer monspessulanum, Prunus mahaleb
Shrub layer
Daphne laureola subsp. latifolia, Crataegus monogyna, Berberis vulgaris subsp. australis, Rosa canina, Juniperus communis subsp. hemisphaerica, Lonicera arborea
Herb layer
Paeonia officinalis subsp. microcarpa, Polygonatum odoratum, Helleborus foetidus, Primula acaulis, Saponaria ocymoides, Polygala boissieri, Bromus erectus, Dictamnus albus
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
No details
Diagnostically important species
Quercus faginea, Acer granatense; Lonicera arborea, Daphne laureola subsp. latifolia; Paeonia officinalis subsp. microcarpa
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)
No details
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
pine forests (C28, C30), species-poor beech forests (F99), Quercus pyrenaica-forests (G64), Quercus faginea-forests (G71, G73), Quercus ilex subsp. rotundifolia-forests (J3, J6, J8, J10), cork oak forests (J26), Abies pinsapo-forests (K25).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Forestry; thornwood scrub: Lonicero splendidae-Berberidetum hispanicae; Crataego monogynae-Loniceretum arboreae; broom scrub: Helianthemo nummulari-Genistetum pseudopilosae; box scrub: Berberido hispanicae-Buxetum sempervirentis.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Short-grass meadows.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
---
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
---
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
shady, cool slopes and ravines of the Baetic mountains
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
supra-Mediterranean; 1200-1700 m
Geology (bedrock)
flysch (Tertiary), Cretaceous, Jurassic, Triassic
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
deep, fresh, humus- and base-rich brown soils; (eutric, stony humic and stony calcic cambisols)
soil moisture, water balance
fresh
soil reaction
neutral to weakly alkaline
soil fertility
mesotrophic to eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
IV4, IV(VI), X
average annual temperature
8-13 °C
average annual precipitation
600-1600 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
22-24 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
4-6 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
subhumid-humid.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Heavily degraded and preserved only in fragments.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
No details
causes of endangerment
Heavy timber exploitation, anthropozoogenic influences.
required measures for protection and restitution
Protection of the remaining semi-natural remnants.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Spain: Serranía de Ronda, Sierra de Baza and other Baetic mountains.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
No details
Most important references (author, year)
Gómez Mercado & Valle Tendero 1988; Peinado Lorca & Rivas-Martínez (Ed.) 1987; Rivas-Martínez 1964; Rivas-Martínez 1987
Compiled by
A. Penas Merino and L. Herrero Cembranos
