Alpine spring heath Pinus sylvestris forests
Description (English)
Mesophile, mostly calcicolous, Pinus sylvestris forests of the intermediate Alps, and, locally, of the inner Alps, the northern, eastern and southeastern outer Alps, the Bavarian plateau, the serpentines of northern Bavaria, Bohemia, the Lake Constance area, the Baar plateau and the Jura, generally characterised by the presence of Erica herbacea, accompanied by Juniperus communis, Berberis vulgaris, Sorbus aria, Amelanchier ovalis, Lembotropis nigricans, Chamaecytisus supinus, Polygala chamaebuxus, Goodyera repens, Pyrola chlorantha, Epipactis atrorubens, Melampyrum pratense, Melampyrum sylvaticum, Carex alba, Carex ornithopoda, Carex humilis, Carex flacca, Molinia caerulea, Calamagrostis varia, Sesleria albicans. They include numerous variants, as indicated in part by the associations listed above, most of them with Erica herbacea, and could be further subdivided. Communities of the intermediate Alps and neighbouring regions form the core of the unit and are adapted to a variety of fairly oligotrophic substrates, mostly calcareous, but occasionally siliceous, with a northern or intermediate exposure. In inner Alpine valleys they occur on less dry sites and usually at higher altitudes than the forests of units G3.43 and G3.45. Isolated, edaphically specialised communities occupy dolomites and serpentines of the northeastern Alps, of adjacent external ranges and of the Bavarian plateau, with or without Erica herbacea.
Source: EUNIS habitat classification
Quick facts
EUNIS habitat type | code T3-541 |
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Vegetation types
Relation to vegetation types (syntaxa)
Not availableSpecies mentioned in habitat description
Species scientific name | English common name | Species group |
---|---|---|
Amelanchier ovalis | Flowering Plants | |
Berberis vulgaris | Flowering Plants | |
Calamagrostis varia | Flowering Plants | |
Carex alba | Flowering Plants | |
Carex flacca | Flowering Plants | |
Carex humilis | Flowering Plants | |
Carex ornithopoda | Flowering Plants | |
Chamaecytisus supinus | Flowering Plants | |
Epipactis atrorubens | Flowering Plants | |
Erica herbacea | Flowering Plants | |
Goodyera repens | Flowering Plants | |
Juniperus communis | Conifers | |
Lembotropis nigricans | Flowering Plants | |
Melampyrum pratense | Flowering Plants | |
Melampyrum sylvaticum | Flowering Plants | |
Molinia caerulea | Flowering Plants | |
Pinus sylvestris | Conifers | |
Polygala chamaebuxus | Flowering Plants | |
Pyrola chlorantha | Flowering Plants | |
Sesleria albicans | Flowering Plants | |
Sorbus aria | Flowering Plants |
Other classifications
History
Classification | Code | Habitat type name | Relationship type | Comment |
---|---|---|---|---|
EUNIS Habitat Classification 2007 (revised descriptions 2012) | G3.441 | Alpine spring heath Scots pine forests | same | |
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200410 | G3.441 | Alpine spring heath Scots pine forests | same | |
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200308 | G3.441 | Alpine spring heath Scots pine forests | same |