Pyrenean Xerobromion

Description (English)

Hill and montane xerophile calcareous grasslands of the Pyrenees and adjacent areas; in the pubescent oak level of the eastern part of the range Xerobromion grasslands with Koeleria vallesiana, Festuca ovina s.l. and Bromus erectus come in contact with Aphyllanthion formations occupying more humid soils and closed postcultural Brachypodium grasslands of the Brachypodion phoenicoides. On the south side of the range, xerophile pastures are represented in lower zones and on sheletered sunny slopes by communities of the Aphyllanthion, of decidedly Mediterranean hue, while the formations of the Xerobromion, of more Euro-Siberian character, occupy the other situations. Chamaephytes such as Helianthemum nummularium, Artemisia alba, Teucrium pyrenaicum, Ononis spinosa, Ononis natrix are abundant alongside the gramineous Phleum phleoides, Festuca ovina s.l., and Carex humilis.

Source: EUNIS habitat classification