Title
South Lusitanian-Gaditanian cork oak forests (Quercus suber) with Myrtus communis on siliceous rocks
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Portugal: Estremadura, Ribatejo, Alentejo, Algarve; Spain: region around Huelva, Cadiz, Costa del Sol
area frequency
25 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Myrto communis-Quercetum suberis Barbéro, Quézel & Rivas-Martínez 1981.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Cork oak forests (Quercus suber) with an underwood rich in nanophanerophytes and lianas.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Shrub layer
Chamaerops humilis, Myrtus communis, Calicotome villosa, Pistacia lentiscus, Olea europaea subsp. oleaster, Stauracanthus boivinii
Lianas
Aristolochia baetica, Smilax aspera, Clematis cirrhosa, Rubia peregrina
Herb layer
Phlomis purpurea, Clinopodium vulgare, Helichrysum conglobatum, Brachypodium retusum
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
No details
Diagnostically important species
Quercus suber; Myrtus communis, Pistacia lentiscus, Chamaerops humilis
Ecological variants
2 subassociations: quercetosum suberis: on lithosols above slate in the provinces Aljíbica, Malaga-Axerquiense and Alpujarro-Gador; lavanduletosum luisieri: on soils consisting of hard, siliceous material in the Extremadura province (Portugal) with Lavandula stoechas subsp. luisieri, Cistus populifolius, Digitalis mariana.
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
No details
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Scrophulario scorodoniae-Alnetum glutinosae, Salicetum atrocinero-australis, Ficario ranunculoidis-Fraxinetum angustifoliae, Polygono equisetiformis-Tamaricetum africanae, Rubo ulmifolii-Nerietum oleandri, Viti sylvestris-Salicetum atrocinereae.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
Quercus canariensis forests (G77), meso- and thermo-Mediterranean sclerophyllous forests (J4, J2, J3, J1, J37, J38, J25, J26, J35, J29, J42), Abies pinsapo forests (K26), moist and alluvial forests (U31).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Eucalyptus forestry; degraded scrub: Cistus monspeliensis, Cistus crispus, Erica scoparia, Lavandula stoechas subsp. luisieri; thornwood: Asparago aphylli-Calicotometum villosae on impoverished soils; strawberry tree scrub: Cytiso baetici-Arbutetum unedonis, Phillyreo angustifoliae-Arbutetum unedonis on dry soils; herbaceous fringes (fringes): Calamintho baeticae-Gallietum scabri; broom scrub: Calicotomo villosae-Genistetum hirsutae, Lavandulo stoechidis-Genistetum equisitiformis, Querco lusitanicae-Stauracanthetum boivinii, Tuberario majoris-Stauracanthetum boivinii; Cistaceae scrub: Cisto salvifolii-Ulicetum australis.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Meadows, pastures: Dactylis glomerata subsp. hispanica, Poa bulbosa, Tuberaria guttata; Trifolio cherleri-Plantaginetum bellardi, Trifolio pallidi-Vulpietum geniculatae, Trifolio subterranei-Poetum bulbosae.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
No details
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
Galactito tomentosae-Vulpietum geniculatae.
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
hilly country
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
thermo-Mediterranean
Geology (bedrock)
granite, gneiss, graywacke, slate, micaceous schist (Palaeozoic)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
inceptisoles, alfisoles (28*); (stony dystric cambisols; orthic and gleyic luvisols; chromic vertisols)
soil texture
clayey, loamy; stony
soil moisture, water balance
moist, fresh
soil reaction
acidic, weakly acidic
soil fertility
oligo-mesotrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
III(IV), IV(III), IV(V), IV3
average annual temperature
17-19 °C
average annual precipitation
250-1000 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
21-25 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
6-10 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
subhumid climate.
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
Portugal: Querco lusitanicae-Stauracanthetum boivinii, Tuberario majoris-Stauracanthetum boivinii.
causes of endangerment
Cork harvesting.
required measures for protection and restitution
No details
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Portugal: protected landscape (Paisagem Protegida) of the Costa Vicentina.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Barbéro, Quézel & Rivas-Martínez 1981; Perez Latorre, Galan de Mera, Deil & Cabezudo 1996; Perez Latorre, Nieto Caldera & Cabezudo 1993; Rivas-Martínez 1987; Rivas-Martínez, Fernández Lousa, Díaz González, Fernández-González & Costa 1990
Compiled by
V. Voggenreiter based on documents by S. Rivas-Martínez; A. Penas Merino and L. Herrero Cembranos; C. Pinto Gomes
