Title
Old Castilian supra-Mediterranean Quercus ilex subsp. rotundifolia-forests with Genista hystrix on siliceous and serpentine rocks
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Portugal: Trás-os-Montes; Spain: Leon, Old Castile (sector Salmantino, Lusitano duriense and Orensano-Sanabriense)
area frequency
10 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Genisto hystricis-Quercetum rotundifoliae P. Silva 1970.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Open forest in which Quercus ilex subsp. rotundifolia prevails. Brooms (Genista hystrix) in the shrub layer (undergrowth) and only a sparsely developed herb layer.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Quercus ilex subsp. rotundifolia, Quercus suber, Quercus pyrenaica
Shrub layer
Genista hystrix, Daphne gnidium, Cytisus scoparius, Cytisus multiflorus, Retama sphaerocarpa, Cistus ladanifer, Halimium ocymoides, Lavandula stoechas subsp. sampaiana
Herb layer
Hyacinthoides hispanica, Helictotrichon sulcatum, Vicia hirsuta, Lotus corniculatus, Euphorbia broteroi
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
No details
Diagnostically important species
Quercus ilex subsp. rotundifolia; Genista hystrix, Cytisus multiflorus
Ecological variants
Acidophilous sites: quercetosum rotundifoliae: supra-Mediterranean; arbutetosum unedonis: meso-Mediterranean with Arbutus unedo, Ruscus aculeatus; helleboretosum foetidi: on base-rich substrates meso-supra-Mediterranean with Helleborus foetidus; quercetosum suberis: ombrophilous, mixed forest of Quercus ilex subsp. rotundifolia and Quercus suber, Cytisus striatus.
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
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Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
on moist soils: Galio broteriani-Alnetum glutinosae, Rubo coryfolii-Salicetum atrocinereae, Salicetum lambertiano-salvifoliae, Fraxino angustifoliae-Quercetum pyrenaicae.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
Quercus pyrenaica-forests (G64, G65, G67), Quercus faginea forests (G71), Mediterranean sclerophyllous forests (J9, J6, J23, J24), lowland and alluvial forests (U29).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Forestry; dense scrub: Genista hystrix, Cytisus multiflorus, Cytisus scoparius, Retama sphaerocarpa; degraded scrub: Cistus ladanifer, Halimium ocymoides, Halimium umbellatum subsp. viscosum, Helichrysum italicum subsp. serotinum; broom scrub: Lavandulo sampaianae-Cytisetum multiflori (Salmantinian), Genisto hystricis-Cytisetum multiflori (Orensano-Sanabrian), Lavandulo sampaianae-Genistetum hystricis; Cistaceae scrub: Lavandulo sampaianae-Cistetum populifolii; Cisto ladaniferi-Genistetum hystricis, Lavandulo penduculatae-Genistetum hystricis; Genisto hystricis-Echinospartetum lusitanici on lithosols.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Meadows, pastures: Stipa gigantea, Agrostis castellana, Poa bulbosa; Festuco amplae-Agrostietum castellanae, Triseto ovati-Agrostietum truncatulae, Thymo-Plantaginetum radicatae.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
No details
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
No details
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
hilly and mountainous country
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
meso-Mediterranean, supra-Mediterranean; 350-800 m
Geology (bedrock)
silicate rocks; granite, quarz, slate and metamorphic rocks (Palaeozoic)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
(stony dystric cambisols)
soil moisture, water balance
fresh, moderately dry (to very dry)
soil reaction
acidic to neutral
soil fertility
oligotrophic, oligo-mesotrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
IV(III), IV6, IV(VI), IV7a
average annual temperature
8-13 °C
average annual precipitation
400-500 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
18-22 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
3-6 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
dry subhumid climate.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Natural forests are greatly endangered.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
No details
causes of endangerment
Fires, afforestation with pines.
required measures for protection and restitution
Restitution and protection of semi-natural remnants.
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)
Díaz González & Penas Merino 1984; Peinado Lorca & Rivas-Martínez (Ed.) 1987; Penas Merino, García González & Herrero Cembranos 1995; Pinto da Silva 1970; Rivas-Martínez 1987
Compiled by
A. Penas Merino and L. Herrero Cembranos; C. Pinto Gomes; V. Voggenreiter based on documents by S. Rivas-Martínez
