Title
Southwest Iberian meso-Mediterranean cork oak forests (Quercus suber) with Sanguisorba hybrida, Paeonia broteroi
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Portugal: Estremadura, Sierra de Monchique; Spain: Andalusian Sierra Morena, Extremadura
area frequency
52 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Sanguisorbo hybridae-Quercetum suberis Rivas Goday 1959 nom. mut. Rivas-Martínez et al. 1990 (= Sanguisorbo agrimonoidis-Quercetum suberis Rivas Goday 1959 em. Rivas-Martínez 1975).
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Tree layer primarily of cork oak (Quercus suber) and sometimes other oak species. Shrub layer rich in evergreen, sclerophyllous shrubs and lianas. Herb layer with numerous nemoral hemicryptophytes and chamaephytes.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Quercus suber, Quercus faginea
Shrub layer
Arbutus unedo, Phillyrea angustifolia, Adenocarpus telonensis, Genista triacanthos, Erica arborea
Herb layer
Sanguisorba hybrida, Paeonia broteroi, Luzula forsteri, Epipactis helleborine, Airopsis tenella, Teucrium scorodonia
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
No details
Diagnostically important species
Quercus suber, Sanguisorba hybrida, Arbutus unedo, Paeonia broteroi
Ecological variants
quercetosum suberis: lower meso-Mediterranean, subhumid-humid, belt; quercetosum fagineae: ombrophilous with Quercus faginea.
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
quercetosum canariensis: areas with fresh soils and humid climate in the Alentejo-Mochiquense province with Quercus canariensis; quercetosum pyrenaicae: middle-meso-Mediterranean, humid-subhumid in the Marianic-Mochiquense region with Quercus pyrenaica.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
typical silicate rock colonising facies, mesotrophic facies above hard limes; on moist soils: Scrophulario scorodoniae-Alnetum glutinosae, Salicetum atrocinero-australis, Ficario ranunculoidis-Fraxinetum angustifoliae, Polygono equisetiformis-Tamaricetum africanae, Rubo ulmifolii-Nerietum oleandri, Viti sylvestris-Salicetum atrocinereae, Pyro bourgeanae-Securinegetum tinctoriae.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
acid-soil oak forests (F14), Quercus pyrenaica forests (G68, G70), Quercus faginea subsp. broteroi forests (G75), Mediterranean sclerophyllous forests (J1, J35, J36), alluvial forests (U30).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Forestry; dense scrub: Arbutus unedo, Erica arborea, Phillyrea angustifolia, Phillyrea latifolia, Adenocarpus telonensis, Viburnum tinus; degraded scrub: Erica arborea, Erica umbellata, Halimium ocymoides, Calluna vulgaris, Lavandula stoechas subsp. luisieri, Pteridium aquilinum (Pistacio-Rhamnetalia alaterni); an even more heavily degraded type: calcifugal Erica arborea heaths and Cistaceae scrub (accumulation of raw humus, lessivation of soils); pioneer stages: Phillyreo angustifoliae-Quercetum lusitanicae (in the subassociation quercetosum pyrenaicae); broom scrub: Cytisetum scopario-eriocarpi; heaths: Halimio ocymoidis-Ericetum umbellatae on strongly degraded, acidified soils, Halimio halimifolii-Stauracanthetum genistiodis on sandy sediments; fringes (fringes): Pimpinello villosae-Origanetum virentis.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Meadows, pastures: Agrostis castellana, Festuca ampla, Airopsis tenella; Periballio minutae-Airopsietum tenellae, Paronychio cymosae-Pterocephaletum diandri, Trifolio subterranei-Poetum bulbosae.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
---
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
Galactito tomentosae-Vulpietum geniculatae (livestock keeping).
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
slopes and plains
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
meso-Mediterranean; 600-900 m
Geology (bedrock)
silicate rocks: quarzit, granite, slate (Palaeozoic: among others Silurian, Ordovician)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
deep silicate soils; (stony dystric cambisols; orthic and ferric luvisols)
soil texture
loamy-clayey, silty
soil moisture, water balance
moist, fresh
soil reaction
acidic, weakly acidic
soil fertility
oligo-mesotrophic, mesotrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
IV3, IV(IV)
average annual temperature
13-17 °C
average annual precipitation
650-1180 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
20-25 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
6-8 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
---
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
Timber and cork production, livestock breeding, grazing.
required measures for protection and restitution
No details
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Spain (Extremadura, Sierra Morena); Portugal: Parque Natural da Serra de Serra Mamede, Reserva Natural da Serra da Malcata.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
---
Most important references (author, year)
Cano Carmona & Valle Tendero 1990; Ladero Alvarez, Valle Gutierrez, Perez Chiscano, Santos Bobillo, Amor Morales & González Iglesias 1994; Melendo & Cano Carmona 1996; Perez Latorre, Nieto Caldera & Cabezudo 1993; Rivas-Martínez 1975; Rivas-Martínez 1987; Rivas-Martínez, Fernández Lousa, Díaz González, Fernández-González & Costa 1990
Compiled by
A. Penas Merino and L. Herrero Cembranos; C. Pinto Gomes; V. Voggenreiter based on documents by S. Rivas-Martínez
