Relict mire of Mediterranean mountains
Description (English)
Oligo- to mesotrophic mire occurring on the waterlogged margins of glacial lakes and around streams in the montane and subalpine belts of the Spanish Sierra Nevada, Corsica, and the western Balkan Peninsula (and also the High Atlas of Morocco). It develops on blankets of thin peat over siliceous bedrocks, kept constantly wet and cool (covered by snow in the high Balkan mountains for much of the year) and providing a splash of green in prevailingly dry landscapes. The vegetation is dominated by small sedges or graminoids often with distinctive endemic and relict species.
Source: EUNIS habitat classification
Quick facts
| EUNIS habitat type | code Q23 |
|---|---|
| Relation to | Annex I habitat types (EU Habitats Directive) |
Legal status
Relation to other habitat types mentioned in legal instruments
| Legal text | Annex | Name in legal text | Code in legal text |
Habitat type relationship |
More information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora - consolidated version 01/01/2007 | Annex I: natural habitat types of community interest whose conservation requires the designation of special areas of conservation | Transition mires and quaking bogs; | 7140 | Overlap | http://ec.europa.eu/environm...rective/index_en.htm |
Vegetation types
Relation to vegetation types (syntaxa)
Not availableIndicator species
Diagnostic species
Constant species
Dominant species
Flowering Plants
Gymnadenia frivaldii
Flowering Plants
Pinguicula balcanica
Flowering Plants
Plantago gentianoides
Flowering Plants
Dactylorhiza cordigera
Flowering Plants
Primula frondosa
Flowering Plants
Carex bulgarica
Flowering Plants
Taraxacum apenninum
Flowering Plants
Cardamine rivularis
Mosses & Liverworts
Warnstorfia exannulata
Flowering Plants
Primula deorum
Flowering Plants
Eriophorum latifolium
Mosses & Liverworts
Sphagnum platyphyllum
Flowering Plants
Geum coccineum
Flowering Plants
Narthecium scardicum
Flowering Plants
Soldanella pindicola
Flowering Plants
Carex echinata
Mosses & Liverworts
Philonotis seriata
Flowering Plants
Carex nigra
Flowering Plants
Juncus thomasii
Diagnostic species occur concentrated in the habitat in question, but are absent or rare in other habitats. They are good positive indicators of the habitat, but they do not need to occur in every location of the habitat.
| Species scientific name | English common name | Species group |
|---|---|---|
| Gymnadenia frivaldii | Flowering Plants | |
| Pinguicula balcanica | Flowering Plants | |
| Plantago gentianoides | Flowering Plants | |
| Dactylorhiza cordigera | Flowering Plants | |
| Primula frondosa | Flowering Plants | |
| Carex bulgarica | Flowering Plants | |
| Taraxacum apenninum | Flowering Plants | |
| Cardamine rivularis | Flowering Plants | |
| Warnstorfia exannulata | Mosses & Liverworts | |
| Primula deorum | Flowering Plants | |
| Eriophorum latifolium | Flowering Plants | |
| Sphagnum platyphyllum | Mosses & Liverworts | |
| Geum coccineum | Flowering Plants | |
| Narthecium scardicum | Flowering Plants | |
| Soldanella pindicola | Flowering Plants | |
| Carex echinata | Flowering Plants | |
| Philonotis seriata | Mosses & Liverworts | |
| Carex nigra | Flowering Plants | |
| Juncus thomasii | Flowering Plants |
Flowering Plants
Carex nigra
Flowering Plants
Nardus stricta
Flowering Plants
Carex echinata
Flowering Plants
Pinguicula balcanica
Flowering Plants
Gymnadenia frivaldii
Flowering Plants
Eriophorum latifolium
Flowering Plants
Plantago gentianoides
Mosses & Liverworts
Warnstorfia exannulata
Flowering Plants
Parnassia palustris
Flowering Plants
Luzula campestris
Flowering Plants
Deschampsia cespitosa
Flowering Plants
Dactylorhiza cordigera
Flowering Plants
Potentilla erecta
Mosses & Liverworts
Straminergon stramineum
Flowering Plants
Primula frondosa
Flowering Plants
Festuca rubra
Flowering Plants
Carex bulgarica
Flowering Plants
Agrostis canina
Flowering Plants
Taraxacum apenninum
Mosses & Liverworts
Philonotis seriata
Constant species occur frequently in the habitat, but they may include generalist species that are also frequent in other habitats.
| Species scientific name | English common name | Species group |
|---|---|---|
| Carex nigra | Flowering Plants | |
| Nardus stricta | Flowering Plants | |
| Carex echinata | Flowering Plants | |
| Pinguicula balcanica | Flowering Plants | |
| Gymnadenia frivaldii | Flowering Plants | |
| Eriophorum latifolium | Flowering Plants | |
| Plantago gentianoides | Flowering Plants | |
| Warnstorfia exannulata | Mosses & Liverworts | |
| Parnassia palustris | Flowering Plants | |
| Luzula campestris | Flowering Plants | |
| Deschampsia cespitosa | Flowering Plants | |
| Dactylorhiza cordigera | Flowering Plants | |
| Potentilla erecta | Flowering Plants | |
| Straminergon stramineum | Mosses & Liverworts | |
| Primula frondosa | Flowering Plants | |
| Festuca rubra | Flowering Plants | |
| Carex bulgarica | Flowering Plants | |
| Agrostis canina | Flowering Plants | |
| Taraxacum apenninum | Flowering Plants | |
| Philonotis seriata | Mosses & Liverworts |
Mosses & Liverworts
Sphagnum platyphyllum
Flowering Plants
Carex nigra
Mosses & Liverworts
Warnstorfia exannulata
Flowering Plants
Eriophorum latifolium
Mosses & Liverworts
Sphagnum warnstorfii
Mosses & Liverworts
Sphagnum subsecundum
Dominant species are those that often reach high cover in the habitat, thus determining the habitat physiognomy.
| Species scientific name | English common name | Species group |
|---|---|---|
| Sphagnum platyphyllum | Mosses & Liverworts | |
| Carex nigra | Flowering Plants | |
| Warnstorfia exannulata | Mosses & Liverworts | |
| Eriophorum latifolium | Flowering Plants | |
| Sphagnum warnstorfii | Mosses & Liverworts | |
| Sphagnum subsecundum | Mosses & Liverworts |
Other classifications
| Classification | Code | Habitat type name | Relationship type |
|---|---|---|---|
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 2007 (revised descriptions 2012) | D2.2 | Poor fens and soft-water spring mires | narrower |
| European Red List of Habitats | D2.2b | Relict mire of mediterranean mountains | same |
History
| Classification | Code | Habitat type name | Relationship type | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 200410 | D2.2 | Poor fens and soft-water spring mires | same | |
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 200308 | D2.2 | Poor fens | same | |
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 200202 | D2.2 | Poor fens | same | |
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 199910 | D2.2 | Poor fens | same | |
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 199811 | D2.2 | Poor fens | same | |
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 199712 | D2.2 | Acid flushes and marshes, dominated by small sedges and often sphagna | same | |
| Palaearctic Habitat Classification 199905 | 54.4 | Acidic fens | same | |
| Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1997 | 54.4 | Acidic fens | same | |
| Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1996 | 54.4 | same | ||
| Palaearctic Habitat Classification 1993 | 54.4 | same | ||
| CORINE Biotopes Classification 1991 | 54.4 | same | ||
| CORINE Biotopes Classification 1989 | 54.4 | same |
