Title
Greek thorn-cushion vegetation (Astragalus angustifolius, Astragalus subgen. Tragacantha spp., Acantholimon ulicinum) with Daphne oleoides, Sideritis clandestina, Asperula boissieri
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Greece: peak locations of the high mountains of south Greece above 1800 m and the Aegean
area frequency
11 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Daphno-Festucetalia Quézel 1964 with Eryngio-Bromion Quézel 1964, Astragalo-Seslerion Quézel 1964.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Open, superficially interspersed (but with a closed subterranean system), 10-30 cm tall, xerophytic (thorn-)cushion formation interspersed with hemispheric dwarf shrubs and thick tufted grasses, and scalariform on steeper slopes, with mesomorphic hemicryptophytes of a short vegetation period. The dwarf shrub and herb layers are only poorly subdivided vertically. Very multiform, species-rich, particularly rich in endemics.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Shrub layer
dwarf and semishrubs, partly thorny: Astragalus creticus, Astragalus thracicus, Astragalus angustifolius, Astragalus taygeteus, Acantholimon ulicinum, Daphne oleoides, Berberis cretica, Buxus sempervirens, Juniperus communis subsp. hemisphaerica
Herb layer
Sideritis clandestina, Sideritis scardica, Asperula boissieri, Asperula oetea, Anchusa cespitosa, Cerastium candidissimum, Festuca varia agg., Sesleria vaginalis, Morina persica, Campanula spatulata subsp. spatulata, Veronica thymifolia, Iberis sempervirens, Draba lasiocarpa, Draba parnassica, Dianthus integer subsp. minutiflorus, Erysimum pusillum, Poa thessala, Marrubium velutinum, Eryngium amethystinum, Bromus riparius
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
No details
Diagnostically important species
Astragalus creticus, Astragalus thracicus, Astragalus angustifolius, Astragalus taygeteus, Acantholimon ulicinum; Asperula boissieri, Asperula oetea, Anchusa cespitosa, Sesleria vaginalis, Draba lasiocarpa, Draba parnassica
Ecological variants
Different forms depending on substrate (rock, soil), situation and exposure.
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
Richly phytogeographically subcategorised due to the presence of numerous endemics, e.g. in the eastern Aegean islands: Asperula samia, Asperula nitida, Sesleria anatolica; Crete: Sideritis syriaca, Asperula idaea, Anchusa cespitosa; Peloponnesus: Erysimum pusillum, Sideritis clandestina, Sesleria taygetea; Central Greece: Sideritis raeseri, Marrubium thessalum, Dianthus haematocalyx.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Alopecurus gerardii communities of snow valley type of small dolinas; alpine spring vegetation (e.g. Blysmus compressus-Leontodon hispidus-Ass. Quézel 1967) and rock crevice communities (Potentilletalia speciosae Quézel 1964) and scree vegetation (Dryopetea spinosae Quézel 1967); alpine grasslands and meadows on silicate rock (Trifolietalia parnassi Quézel 1964) often with Nardus stricta and Luzula spicata; Juniperus foetidissima light forests.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
black pine forests (K18), fir forests (K27), cypress open woodlands (K31).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
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grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Grazing favours the thorn shrubs and thick tufted grasses; thorn-cushion vegetation and calcareous dry grassland sometimes spreads out secondarily in place of altimontane-subalpine coniferous forests (e.g. Stipa pulcherrima-Morina persica communities).
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
---
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
---
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
massifs and peak regions above the upper tree line
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
subalpine-alpine, oro-Mediterranean; above 1800 m
Geology (bedrock)
limestone, dolomite (Triassic, Cretaceous); flysch (Tertiary); serpentine
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
humus carbonate soils, limestone-brown loam, terra rossa; (rendzic leptosols; chromic luvisols)
soil texture
loamy, stone-rich, stony to rocky
soil moisture, water balance
dry to fresh
soil reaction
moderately acidic to neutral
soil fertility
meso-eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
X
average annual temperature
5-10 °C
average annual precipitation
1100-1200 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
12-15 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
-5 to -1 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
Mediterranean high mountain climate: snow-rich, long-term summer droughts; intensive radiation.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Primarily well preserved and endemic rich, i.e. especially worthy of protection.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
Many of the species mentioned under the point “Dominant and most frequent species” are Greek endemics. Those, which only exist in small populations, are potentially endangered.
causes of endangerment
Overgrazing.
required measures for protection and restitution
Reduction of grazing.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Greece: on numerous central and southern Greek, Ionian and Aegean mountain peaks (Theassalian Olymp, Parnass, Taygetos; Crete (Lefka Ori, Psiloritis), Samos, Kephallinia).
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
---
Most important references (author, year)
Bergmeier 2002b; Christodoulakis 1986; Hager 1985; Horvat, Glavač & Ellenberg 1974; Quézel 1964; Quézel 1967a; Raus Th. 1987
Compiled by
Th. Raus and E. Bergmeier, completed by U. Bohn
