Title
East Iberian thermo-meso-Mediterranean Quercus ilex subsp. rotundifolia-forests with Quercus coccifera, Rubia peregrina subsp. longifolia on carbonate rocks
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Spain: Tarragona, Valencia, Jativa
area frequency
7 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Rubio longifoliae-Quercetum rotundifoliae Costa & Peris 1982.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Open Quercus ilex subsp. rotundifolia forests mainly with shrubs and lianas in the undergrowth.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Quercus ilex subsp. rotundifolia
Shrub layer
Chamaerops humilis, Rhamnus lycioides subsp. oleoides, Osyris lanceolata, Pistacia lentiscus, Quercus coccifera, Rosmarinus officinalis; Cytisus striatus, Retama sphaerocarpa, Genista valentina
Lianas
Rubia peregrina subsp. longifolia, Asparagus acutifolius, Clematis flammula, Smilax aspera
Herb layer
Brachypodium retusum
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
No details
Diagnostically important species
Quercus ilex subsp. rotundifolia, Chamaerops humilis; Rubia peregrina subsp. longifolia
Ecological variants
Forests with 3 facies: quercetosum rotundifoliae; calicotometosum spinosae: thermo-Mediterranean, on sandy soils or decalcified terra rossa with Calicotome spinosa, Erica arborea; fraxinetosum orni: meso-Mediterranean; on fresh and deep soils with Fraxinus ornus, Hedera helix, Viburnum tinus.
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)
meso- and thermo-Mediterranean sclerophyllous forests (J4, J10, J14, J30, J44), moist and alluvial forests (U30, U32).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Forestry; Retama sphaerocarpa, Genista valentina, thick scrub with Cytisus striatus, Hedera helix; degraded scrub (garrigue) with Ulex parviflorus, Erica multiflora, Thymus piperella, Helianthemum syriacum; scrub: Anthyllido-Cistetum clusi (on marl), Helianthemo molle-Ulicidetum parviflorae, Helianthemo cinerei-Thymetum piperellae (meso-Mediterranean, subhumid), Genisto hispanicae-Anthyllidetum onobrychioidis, Erico-Thymelaeaetum tinctoriae (to the north, Valencia-Tarragona). Thermophilous forests and garrigue with Pistacia lentiscus, Rhamnus alaternus subsp. alaternus, dwarf palms and kermes oak, which in the original vegetation only occupied the edge of the Quercus ilex subsp. rotundifolia forests, are now found frequently on shallow sites (steep slopes, mountain crests, calcrete soils) and mainly in areas with a semi-arid climate (Querco cocciferae-Pistacietum lentisci).
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Pasture land: Brachypodium retusum, Sedum sediforme, Brachypodium distachyon; pastures with perennial plants: Teucrio pseudochamaepitys-Brachypodietum rupestri; pastures with annual plants: Saxifrago tridactylites-Hornungietum petraeae.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
agriculture dating back centuries; today mainly intensive fertile irrigation-assisted cultivation is practiced, citrus plantations are grown, and locust trees are cultivated.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
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Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
mountainous country
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
thermo- and meso-Mediterranean
Geology (bedrock)
Cretaceous, Jurassic, Triassic
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
calcareous brown soils and terra rossa; (stony chromic and petrocalcic calcic cambisols)
soil moisture, water balance
fresh to dry
soil reaction
weakly acidic to alkaline
soil fertility
oligo-mesotrophic, mesotrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
IV1, IV2, IV4
average annual temperature
13-17 °C
average annual precipitation
440-975 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
21-24 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
7-11 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
Dry climate with poor precipitation near Valencia and Castellon (440 mm) to more humid in Pego (975 mm) in the Marina Alta near Alicante; maximum in autumn opposite to the geo-vicariant series, where they are in winter-spring.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
The very last forest remnants and fragments are extremely worthy of protection. In former times they occupied extensive areas of Seta and Valencia-Tarragona from the Penedés and Garraf in Catalonia to Marina Baixa in Alicante.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
All nearly-natural remnant forests.
causes of endangerment
Heavy crop agricultural usage, forestry, intensive irrigation-assisted cultivation, plantations etc.
required measures for protection and restitution
No details
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
No details
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Costa Talens 1982; Costa Talens, Peris & Figuerola 1982; Costa Talens, Peris & Stubing 1984; Peinado Lorca & Rivas-Martínez (Ed.) 1987; Rivas-Martínez 1987
Compiled by
V. Voggenreiter based on documents by S. Rivas-Martínez; A. Penas Merino and L. Herrero Cembranos
