Title
Tyrrhenian meso-Mediterranean cork oak forests (Quercus suber) with Erica arborea, Lavandula stoechas
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
France: Corsica (coastal strip in the east and south-west); Italy: Tuscany, (for Lazio, Calabria, Sardinia, Sicily not shown on the map)
area frequency
2 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Helleboro (bocconei)-Quercetum suberis Signorello 1984, Genisto aristatae-Quercetum suberis Brullo 1984, Stipo bromoidis-Quercetum suberis Barbagallo 1983, Viburno-Quercetum ilicis suberetosum Braun-Blanquet (1936) 1952.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Three-layered, always high-growing cork oak forests with Erica arborea, Lavandula stoechas, Cistus species etc. in the shrub layer and many Quercetea ilicis species in the herb layer. Grasses and gramineous species are frequent in particular.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Quercus suber, Quercus ilex
Shrub layer
Erica arborea, Lavandula stoechas, Arbutus unedo, Cistus salviifolius, Cistus creticus, Asparagus acutifolius, Ruscus aculeatus, Euphorbia characias, Pistacia lentiscus, Genista monspessulana
Lianas
Rosa sempervirens, Lonicera implexa, Smilax aspera, Rubia peregrina, Tamus communis
Herb layer
Stipa bromoides, Melica minuta, Carex distachya, Arisarum vulgare, Asphodelus ramosus, Ampelodesmos mauritanica
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
No details
Diagnostically important species
Quercus suber; Genista monspessulana, Genista aristata; Stipa bromoides, Helleborus bocconei
Ecological variants
No details
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
Viburno-Quercetum ilicis suberetosum in Sardinia, the remaining syntaxa in Sicily.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Macchia.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
bitter oak forests (G11, G13), downy oak forests (G39, G43), Mediterranean sclerophyllous forests (J14, J17, J48), dune vegetation (P11), salt vegetation (P26).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Quercus suber forests, eucalyptus forestry, macchia (Cisto-Ericetalia).
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
---
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Vineyards, olive and fruit cultivation.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
---
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
plains and hills, moderately inclined slopes
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
lowland, colline; 0-300 m
Geology (bedrock)
grano-diorites, tonalites, granites, gabbro, diorites (Tertiary; Cretaceous; Palaeozoic)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
Mediterranean brown soils, litosols, andosols, Mediterranean red soils (Mancini 1966); (chromic and dystric cambisols; chromic luvisols; lithic leptosols)
soil texture
loamy, loamy-sandy
soil moisture, water balance
moderately dry, dry
soil reaction
weakly acidic
soil fertility
mesotrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
IV3a, IV5(X), IV4
average annual temperature
13,5-16 °C
average annual precipitation
600-1000 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
July 22-26 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
January 5-10 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
very dry in summer.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Cork oak stands intensively exploited by man.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
No details
causes of endangerment
Fire.
required measures for protection and restitution
No details
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Italy: Bosco di San Pietro (Sicily), surroundings of Tempio pausania (Sardinia).
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
---
Most important references (author, year)
Brullo, Cirino & Longhitano 1995; Camarda & Satta 1995
Compiled by
F. Pedrotti and Z. Neuhäuslová; C. Hettwer based on documents by P. Ozenda
