Title
South Aegean Pinus brutia-forests with Cupressus sempervirens
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Greece: south Crete; east Aegean: Rhodes, Kos, Kalimnos, Samos
area frequency
10polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Irido cretensis-Pinetum brutiae Barbéro & Quézel 1980, Junipero lyciae-Pinetum brutiae Barbéro & Quézel 1980.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
More or less closed pine forest whose degree of closure depends on soil depth (Pinus brutia), with participation of Cupressus sempervirens, a dominating undergrowth of evergreen sclerophyllous woody plants (Pistacia lentiscus, Quercus coccifera), a weakly developed herb layer, but with penetrating heliophilous dwarf shrubs and xeromorphic grasses at open sites.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Pinus brutia, Cupressus sempervirens, Quercus coccifera
Shrub layer
Juniperus phoenicea, Pistacia lentiscus, Phlomis cretica, Asparagus aphyllus, Erica manipuliflora
Herb layer
Iris unguicularis subsp. carica var. carica, Carex halleriana, Lithodora hispidula, Satureja thymbra, Urginea maritima
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
no details
Diagnostically important species
Pinus brutia, Cupressus sempervirens; Iris unguicularis subsp. carica var. carica, Carex halleriana, Lithodora hispidula
Ecological variants
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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)
holm oak and kermes oak forests (Quercion ilicis); thermophilous Pistacia lentiscus scrub (Ceratonio-Rhamnion oleoidis).
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
meso-Mediterranean holm oak and kermes oak forests (J22), wild olive-locust tree forests (J49), open cypress woodlands (K31), plane tree alluvial forests (U38).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Pinus brutia plantations (sometimes for resin extraction). After destruction of the tree layer: garrigue (phrygana) with Sarcopoterium spinosum, Coridothymus capitatus, Genista acanthoclada, Erica manipuliflora, Cistus creticus, Cistus parviflorus etc.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
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arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Fields near to settlements, terraces, vineyards.
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
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Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
hilly country, moderately high mountain locations
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
lowland to submontane
Geology (bedrock)
limestone, marl (Cretaceous, Jurassic)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
terra rossa, terra fusca; (chromic luvisols; chromic cambisols; calcaric regosols)
soil texture
loamy, stone-rich
soil moisture, water balance
dry
soil reaction
neutral, alkaline
soil fertility
meso-eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
IV2
average annual temperature
15-18 °C
average annual precipitation
700-800 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
25-27 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
4-8 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
semi-arid Mediterranean climate, long droughts in summer, nearly free of frost.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Primary forests probably not preserved, most probably fire-conditioned secondary forests over wide areas. Over the last decades an increase in these forests, a decrease in timber exploitation, and a spreading to abandoned farmland has been noted.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
Nearly-natural stands are worthy of protection.
causes of endangerment
fire.
required measures for protection and restitution
Fencing to protect against grazing.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Greece: south Crete (Ierapetra, Sfakia-Paleochora), Gavdos, Rhodes, Kos, Samos (Kerki mountains).
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Barbéro & Quézel 1980; Rauh 1949; Rechinger & Rechinger-Moser 1951
Compiled by
Th. Raus and E. Bergmeier
