Title
East Geek meso-Mediterranean kermes oak forests and scrub (Quercus coccifera, Phillyrea latifolia) with Piptatherum coerulescens, Asparagus aphyllus
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Central Greece (basin landscapes of Thessaly and Beotia)
area frequency
4 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Zonal community not known. Substitue community: Querco-Phillyreetum mediae Barbéro & Quézel 1976, "Oleo-Lentiscetum aegaeicum" pro parte (sensu Horvat et al. 1974).
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Evergreen high forest of Quercus coccifera, with Phillyrea latifolia and Olea europaea subsp. oleaster also appearing. Shrub layer with Crataegus monogyna, Pyrus spinosa and Pistacia terebinthus, herb layer sparse with xeromorphic grasses (hypothetical) amongst others.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Quercus coccifera, Phillyrea latifolia, Olea europaea subsp. oleaster
Shrub layer
Crataegus monogyna, Pyrus spinosa, Calicotome villosa, Pistacia terebinthus
Herb layer
Piptatherum coerulescens, Scaligeria napiformis, Asparagus aphyllus, Ballota acetabulosa, Carex distachya
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
No details
Diagnostically important species
Quercus coccifera, Phillyrea latifolia, Piptatherum coerulescens, Asparagus aphyllus
Ecological variants
--
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
not known (unexplored).
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
South-east European plane alluvial forests, Albanian-Macedonian-Hellenic intermttently moist downy oak mixed forests.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
Balkan oak forests (G26), mixed Oriental hornbeam-downy oak forests (G57), fir forests (K27), holm oak forests (J22), alluvial and moist forests (U18, U35, U38).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Completely wiped out as forest, and only preserved as groups of trees near monasteries etc..
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
As a result of grazing Quercus coccifera-Phillyrea latifolia pseudomacchia, Phlomis fruticosa pastures, Asphodelus ramosus pastures.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
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settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
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Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
low hilly country protected from the sea, inland at the bases of mountains
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
lowland-colline; below 300 m
Geology (bedrock)
Tertiary, Jurassic, Cretaceous, Triassic
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
brown loam, red loam, conglomerates; (ferralsols; calcaric regosols; lithic leptosols; chromic luvisols)
soil moisture, water balance
dry
soil reaction
neutral, alkaline
soil fertility
mesotrophic, meso-eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
IV3a, IV3b IV(VI)
average annual temperature
16-17,5 °C
average annual precipitation
<600 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
26-28 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
5-8 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
"subarid" Mediterranean climate, regular frosts possible during inversional states of the weather (in opposite to J22).
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Zonal forests not preserved; substitute scrub with varying degradation/regeneration tendencies are spread out widely over large areas.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
Tendency towards regeneration and progressive succession; completely worthy of protection (as objects of research to reconstruct the zonal vegetation).
causes of endangerment
Timber cutting and grazing (over millennia).
required measures for protection and restitution
Fencing off of original regeneration stages.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Greece: interior-Thessaly, Beotia.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Barbéro & Quézel 1976; Bergmeier 1990
Compiled by
Th. Raus and E. Bergmeier
