Icelandic palsa mounds
Description (English)
Palsa mounds of the periglacial arctoalpine highlands of central Iceland, 0.5-2.5 metres high, 2-10 metres long, 1-7 metres broad, surrounded by a narrow lake-like lagg or a minerotrophic mud-bottom mire, generally of the Icelandic Carex rostrata-Carex rariflora type (unit D2.3H2), occupied, on the tops, by shrub communities dominated by Empetrum hermaphroditum, with Dryas octopetala, Salix herbacea, Armeria maritima, Silene acaulis, Kobresia myosuroides, the mosses Drepanocladus uncinatus, Racomitrium canescens, the sphagnum Sphagnum teres and the lichen Cetraria islandica, and on the lower slopes by communities dominated by Salix glauca ssp. callicarpaea (Salix arctica), Salix herbacea and Calamagrostis neglecta.
Source: EUNIS habitat classification
Quick facts
| EUNIS habitat type | code D3.112 |
|---|---|
| Bern Convention | Included in a Resolution 4 habitat type at a higher level (D3.1) |
Vegetation types
Relation to vegetation types (syntaxa)
Not availableSpecies mentioned in habitat description
Flowering Plants
Calamagrostis neglecta
Flowering Plants
Carex rariflora
Flowering Plants
Carex rostrata
Flowering Plants
Dryas octopetala
Flowering Plants
Empetrum hermaphroditum
Flowering Plants
Kobresia myosuroides
Flowering Plants
Salix herbacea
Flowering Plants
Silene acaulis
Fungi
Cetraria islandica
Mosses & Liverworts
Racomitrium canescens
Mosses & Liverworts
Sphagnum teres
| Species scientific name | English common name | Species group |
|---|---|---|
| Calamagrostis neglecta | Flowering Plants | |
| Carex rariflora | Flowering Plants | |
| Carex rostrata | Flowering Plants | |
| Dryas octopetala | Flowering Plants | |
| Empetrum hermaphroditum | Flowering Plants | |
| Kobresia myosuroides | Flowering Plants | |
| Salix herbacea | Flowering Plants | |
| Silene acaulis | Flowering Plants | |
| Cetraria islandica | Fungi | |
| Racomitrium canescens | Mosses & Liverworts | |
| Sphagnum teres | Mosses & Liverworts |
Other classifications
| Classification | Code | Habitat type name | Relationship type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palaearctic Habitat Classification 200112 | 54.912 | Icelandic palsa mounds | source |
History
| Classification | Code | Habitat type name | Relationship type |
|---|---|---|---|
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 200410 | D3.112 | Icelandic palsa mounds | same |
| EUNIS Habitat Classification 200308 | D3.112 | Icelandic palsa mounds | same |
