Title
West Caucasian meadow steppes (Stipa tirsa, Stipa pennata, Bromus riparius, Carex humilis, Elymus hispidus subsp. barbulatus, Dianthus capitatus, Thymus pastoralis) with Centaurea leucophylla alternating with scrub (Prunus spinosa, Rhamnus pallasii)
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Russia: northern hilly country and foreland of the western Caucasus
area frequency
4 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Herbeto-Stipeta pennatae; Herbeto-Stipeta tirsae; Herbeto-Cariceta humilis (Lavrenko, 1940); Herbeto-Elytrigeta trichophorae; Pruneta spinosae.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Complex consisting of herb-rich feather grass steppes, meadow steppes and hemixerophilic scrub predominating on loess sites in the foothills-lowlands-hills. In the steppes there are species combinations consisting of steppe grasses (Stipa tirsa, Stipa pennata, Bromus riparius, Koeleria macrantha, Festuca valesiaca) as well as meadow steppe grasses (Phleum phleoides, Brachypodium pinnatum, Festuca pratensis, Dactylis glomerata, Bromus inermis, Helictotrichon pratense and Elymus repens) and sedges (Carex humilis). Amongst the herbs, in addition to general steppe and meadow steppe species (Adonis vernalis, Galium verum, Medicago falcata, Onobrychis inermis, Peucedanum ruthenicum, Dianthus capitatus, Centaurea leucophylla, Lotus corniculatus etc.) there are bulb geophytes (Allium- and Gagea species) as well as rhizome geophytes (Iris hungarica, Iris pumila). There are also dwarf semi-shrubs (Thymus kosteleckyanus, Teucrium chamaedrys). Occurences of Caucasian endemics (Centaurea leucophylla, Thymus pastoralis). Locally there is scrub consisting of hemixerophilic shrubs (Prunus spinosa, Rhamnus pallasii, Rosa pimpinellifolia) that is usually associated with slopes of ravines and river valleys, as well as petrophyte communities (Carex humilis, Thymus pastoralis, Teucrium chamaedrys etc.) on rocky sites.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Shrub layer
Prunus spinosa, Rhamnus pallasii, Rosa pimpinellifolia
Herb layer
in steppes: Stipa tirsa, Stipa pennata, Bromus riparius, Koeleria macrantha, Festuca valesiaca, Phleum phleoides, Carex humilis; Brachypodium pinnatum, Festuca pratensis, Dactylis glomerata, Bromus inermis, Helictotrichon pubescens, Elymus repens; Adonis vernalis, Filipendula vulgaris, Onobrychis inermis, Galium verum, Medicago falcata, Trifolium ambiguum, Trifolium pratense, Jurinea arachnoidea, Peucedanum ruthenicum, Astragalus onobrychis, Lotus corniculatus, Allium albidum, Allium carinatum subsp. pulchellum, Gagea bulbifera, Gagea pusilla, Iris hungarica, Iris pumila; Thymus kosteleckyanus, Thymus pastoralis, Teucrium chamaedrys, Teucrium capitatum, Centaurea leucophylla.
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
No details
Diagnostically important species
in steppes: Stipa tirsa, Stipa pennata, Carex humilis, Elymus hispidus subsp. barbulatus, Dianthus capitatus, Thymus pastoralis, Centaurea leucophylla
Ecological variants
No details
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
No details
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Petrophytic communities and tomillares (Thymus pastoralis, Teucrium chamaedrys) on rocky sites.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
mixed hornbeam-oak forests (F168), forest steppes (L8), steppes (M1, M5), freshwater-tall reed swamps (R1), alluvial forests (U21).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
---
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Pastures, meadows.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Fields (cereals, sugar beets, melons, tobacco).
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
No details
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
Foothill lowlands and promontory plateaus engraved by rivers (Kuban, Laba)
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
lowland-colline to submontane; 10‑300 m (up to 450 m)
Geology (bedrock)
fluviatile and eolian (bluff formation-)sediments (Holocene, Pleistocene) above marine sediments (Tertiary: Pliocene)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
deep (humus horizon as thick as 180 cm), very warm, only short-term frozen black soils and chestnut soils; (haplic kastanozems; haplic chernozems)
soil texture
sandy, loamy, here and there skeletal
soil moisture, water balance
moderately dry to dry
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI(VII)2
average annual temperature
10-12 °C
average annual precipitation
600-650 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
21-23 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
-3 to -1 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
---
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
The meadow steppes have been converted largely into arable land. Remnants of natural meadow steppes, occasionally scattered with scrub, have remained preserved at slopes of terraces, river valleys and ravines as well as on grave mounds in the middle of agricultural fields.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
meadow steppes and herb-rich Stipa steppes.
causes of endangerment
Agricultural use (intensive grazing, arable farming).
required measures for protection and restitution
Preservation of the 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
---
Most important references (author, year)
Kosenko 1930; Lavrenko 1980; Šiffers 1953
Compiled by
Z. Neuhäuslová based on documents of M. Ivanišvili
