Title
Middle Iberian supra-Mediterranean Quercus ilex subsp. rotundifolia-forests with Juniperus oxycedrus on siliceous and serpentine rocks
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Spain: Guadarrama, Soria, León (sector Bejarano-Gredense, Celtibérico-Alcarreño)
area frequency
17 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Junipero oxycedri-Quercetum rotundifoliae Rivas-Martínez (1964) 1975.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Open Quercus ilex subsp. rotundifolia dominated sclerophyllous oak forest in which abandant Juniperus oxycedrus grows, but which is poor in vascular plant species. Quercus ilex subsp. rotundifolia forests represent the climax stage of this landscape.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Quercus ilex subsp. rotundifolia
Shrub layer
Adenocarpus aureus, Cytisus scoparius, Daphne gnidium, Genista cinerea, Juniperus oxycedrus, Lonicera etrusca, Retama sphaerocarpa, Lavandula stoechas subsp. pedunculata, Osyris alba, Arbutus unedo
Lianas
Rubia peregrina, Lonicera etrusca
Herb layer
Asphodelus aestivus, Asplenium onopteris, Biscutella scaposa, Carex distachya, Carex pairae, Doronicum plantagineum, Gladiolus illyricus, Hyacinthoides hispanica, Paeonia broteroi, Ruscus aculeatus, Sanguisorba minor subsp. magnolii, Silene mellifera, Stipa gigantea, Thapsia villosa, Agrostis castellana
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Arceuthobium oxycedri (hemi-parasite on Juniperus oxycedrus)
Diagnostically important species
Quercus ilex subsp. rotundifolia; Juniperus oxycedrus, Osyris alba, Retama sphaerocarpa
Ecological variants
With pseudogleying of the soil: Querco pyrenaicae-Fraxinetum angustifoliae; several subassociations: quercetosum rotundifoliae; rhamnetosum infectoriae: Leonesian (with Rhamnus saxatilis, Rosa micrantha); brachypodietosum rupestris: Leonesian, on base-poor soils (with Brachypodium pinnatum subsp. rupestre, Saponaria ocymoides); festucetosum elegantidis: Gredensian, supra-Mediterranean (as persisting relict vegetation Festuca elegans, Festuca summilusitana, Cytisus oromediterraneus); arenarietosum montanae: Guadarramian and Paramero-Serrotensian, on steep and dry sites (with Arenaria montana); deschampsietosum ibericae: Moncayensian, on base-containing soils (with Deschampsia flexuosa subsp. iberica, Teucrium chamaedrys subsp. pinnatifidum); juniperetosum thuriferae: Guadarramian (with Juniperus thurifera).
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)
No details
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
species-poor beech forests (F99), Quercus pyrenaica-forests (G64, G66, G70), Quercus faginea forests (G71, G72), Mediterranean sclerophyllous forests (J4, J1, J9, J5), lowland and alluvial forests (U29).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Scrub of the primary regression stage of continental-Iberian supra-Mediterranean and upper meso-Mediterranean cold and ombrophilous locations: Rubo-Rosetum corymbiferae; broom scrub with Genista cinerea, Genista florida, Cytisus scoparius and sometimes Adenocarpus hispanicus; Cytiso scopari-Genistetum polygaliphyllae (Leonesian), Cytiso scopari-Genistetum floridae (Guadarramian); Cytiso scopari-Retametum sphaerocarpae (Guadarramian); Cistaceae scrub with Cistus ladanifer, more rarely Cistus laurifolius, Lavandula stoechas subsp. pedunculata, Rosmarinus officinalis, Helichrysum italicum subsp. serotinum, Stipa gigantea, Stipa lagascae; Halimio umbellati-Cistetum laurifolii (Leonesian), Santolino-Cistetum laurifolii and Rosmarino officinalis-Cistetum ladaniferi (Guadarramian).
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Meadows and pastures: Stipa gigantea, Agrostis castellana, Poa bulbosa; Festuco amplae-Cynosuretum crista (Leonesian), Arrhenathero baetici-Stipetum gigantae and Centaureo-Stipetum lagascae (Guadarramian); Trifolio subterranei-Poetum bulbosae, Festuco-Poetum bulbosae; Festuco-Agrostietum castellanae.
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
plateaus where clay is present
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
supra-Mediterranean, meso-Mediterranean (Guadarrama); for instance 900 m
Geology (bedrock)
granite, granodiorite, adamellite (Palaeozoic)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
sandy, shallow brown soils, ranker without temporary hydromorphy in the B-horizon (thus no Pseudogleiyzation, no floods); below piornales mull or mull-like mor formation; (lithic chromic cambisols; chromic and vertic luvisols)
soil texture
clayey, sandy
soil moisture, water balance
fresh to dry
soil reaction
acidic, weakly acidic
soil fertility
oligotrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
IV(VII), IV7a, IV7c
average annual temperature
8-13 °C
average annual precipitation
400-700 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
17-22 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
2-5 °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)
No details
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
No details
causes of endangerment
No details
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)
Díaz González & Penas Merino 1984; Fernández-González 1988; Navarro Sánchez 1986; Navarro Sánchez 1989; Peinado Lorca & Rivas-Martínez (Ed.) 1987; Penas Merino, García González & Herrero Cembranos 1995; Rivas-Martínez 1963; Rivas-Martínez 1987; Rivas-Martínez, Fernández-González, Sánchez-Mata & Pizarro 1990; Sánchez-Mata 1989; Sardinero Roscales 1994
Compiled by
V. Voggenreiter based on documents by S. Rivas-Martinez; A. Penas Merino and L. Herrero Cembranos
