Title
South Apeninne-Dinaric-Greek Balkan pine forests (Pinus heldreichii) with Sesleria autumnalis, partly Helleborus multifidus subsp. serbicus, Bruckenthalia spiculifolia, with Peltaria emarginata on carbonate and ophiolite rocks
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Italy: south Apeninne (Mt. Alpi, Mt. Spina, Mt. Rotondo in west-Lukania), Calabria (Massif Pollino, Tyrrhenian coastal range); Bosnia-Herzegovina: Čvrsnica, Prenj; Yugoslavia: Montenegro; Albania: border to Yugoslavia (Kosovo); Bulgaria (not on the map); Greece: Pindus, Olymp (not on the map)
area frequency
15 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Daphno blagayanae-Pinetum heldreichii Barbéro & Quézel 1976; Pinetum heldreichii bertiscum Bertovic 1959; Pinetum heldreichii Horvat 1963. (13 associations in the west of the Balkan peninsula were differentiated by M. Janković, Fukarek and Blečić; further 12 associations in the central part, which are probably degradation stages, at the most geographical vicariants, rather less associations (compare I. Horvat, Glavač & Ellenberg, S. 557)).
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Open two- to multi-layered Balkan pine forests with a weakly to well developed shrub layer. Grasses and gramineous species set the tone in the interspersed herb layer with many Elyno-Seslerietea and Daphno-Festucetea species. At the tree line there are often trees with curved stem bases that develop as a result of pressure from the winter snows.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Pinus heldreichii, partly with Pinus nigra subsp. pallasiana, Pinus peuce, Pinus sylvestris, Abies borisii-regis, Abies alba, Fagus sylvatica
Shrub layer
Pinus mugo, Juniperus communis subsp. alpina, Buxus sempervirens, Erica carnea, Daphne oleoides, Genista sericea; Italy: Juniperus communis subsp. hemisphaerica, Cytisophyllum sessilifolium, Sorbus aria, Chamaecytisus spinescens
Herb layer
Minuartia baldaccii, Festuca penzesii, Festuca graeca, Calamagrostis arundinacea, Luzula luzuloides, Luzula sylvatica, Geranium macrorrhizum, Vaccinium myrtillus, Galium rotundifolium, Aremonia agrimonoides, Sesleria robusta, Achnatherum calamagrostis, Genista radiata
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
No details
Diagnostically important species
Pinus heldreichii; Daphne blagayana, Daphne oleoides, Peltaria emarginata, Chamaecytisus absinthoides; Festuca penzesii, Festuca graeca, Minuartia baldaccii, Genista radiata, Sesleria robusta
Ecological variants
Various types depending on edaphic and microclimatic conditions, and altitudinal forms.
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
See remarks under the heading 'Scientific Name'; former Yugoslavia: Herzegovinian strain (Moltkia petraea, Campanula hercegovina).
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Seslerion apenninae (Cariceto-Seslerietum nitidae Bonin 1978); rock vegetation, Pinus mugo scrub, Buxus sempervirens scrub.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
alpine grassland (B54, B55), dwarf pine and krummholz scrubs (C37, C39), spruce forests (D38), pine forests (D61), species-poor beech and mixed beech forests (F89), species-rich beech and mixed beech forests (F142, F143, F144, F148, F150, F154, F158, F160), Balkan oak-bitter oak forests (G19), hop-downy oak forests (G54), black pine forests (K15).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Selective timber harvesting, Pinus nigra and Pinus heldreichii plantations; grazing conditioned Buxus sempervirens and Juniperus communis secondary stands.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Grazed rocky dry grasslands.
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
higher mountainous locations: steep slopes and cliffs
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
altimontane, subalpine; oro-Mediterranean; 1200-2200 m, up to 2300 m (Olymp)
Geology (bedrock)
limestone, dolomite, serpentine (Tertiary, Cretaceous, Jurassic, Triassic)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
usually rocky raw soils (lithosols, humus carbonate soils, ranker); deep soils mostly slightly wetted and acidic; (lithic and dystric leptosols; dystric and chromic cambisols)
soil texture
stone-rich, loamy-sandy to sandy-loamy
soil moisture, water balance
moderately dry to very dry
soil reaction
weakly acidic to alkaline
soil fertility
mesotrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI2b, VI(X), X
average annual temperature
6-8 °C
average annual precipitation
600-2700 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
16-18 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
-3 to -2 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
snow-rich (sub)Mediterranean altimontane climate with summerly dry seasons.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Potentially endangered; existing forests have usually been completely grazed through or damaged by fire; subalpine forests function as (avalanche) protection forests.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
Especially worthy of protection are natural forest communities with Pinus heldreichii; species worthy of protection: Pinus heldreichii, numerous endemic species.
causes of endangerment
Timber harvesting, fire, grazing.
required measures for protection and restitution
Cessation of timber harvesting and grazing, protection from fire, strict protection of semi-natural remnants and promotion of their regeneration.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Italy: national park Massif Pollino, regional conservation area Mt Spina; Bosnia-Herzegovina: Čvrsnica, Prenj, Čebulj, Velež; Yugoslavia (Montenegro): Prokletije-mountains, Orjen, Ošljak, Koritnik, Streočka planina, Sara; (Kosovo): Kodže, Balkan, Ostrovica; Bulgaria: Pirin- and Slavjanka-mountains; Greece: Theassalian Olymp, Smolikas, Pindos near Metsovon/Katara.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Avena & Bruno 1975; Barbéro & Quézel 1976; Blečić 1959; Blečić & Tatić 1960; Fukarek 1966; Fukarek 1967; Habeck & Reif 1994; Pennacchini & Bonin 1975; Velčev 1984; Velčev & Janković 1975
Compiled by
Z. Neuhäuslová based on documents by I. Bondev, completed by Th. Raus; R. Venanzoni and Z. Neuhäuslová; M. Zupančič; E. Bergmeier
