Subalpine moist or wet tall-herb and fern fringe
Quick facts
Red List habitat type | code RLE5.5 |
---|---|
Threat status | |
Europe | Least Concern |
EU | Least Concern |
Relation to |
|
Source | European Red List habitat factsheet |
European Red List of habitats reports | |
European Red List of habitats (Excel table) |
Summary
The tall forb communities of Habitat type E5.5 are found at relatively cool and humid places in low and high mountain ranges throughout Europe, with their optimum in the subalpine zone; moreover, they can be found in the arctic regions of Scandinavia. They can be seen as a vicariant of the communities of habitat type E5.4, occurring at lower altitudes. In the mountains of Central Europe, the communities usually occur above 1,000 m altitude, but in Southern Europe they often don’t grow below 1,600 m. The stands occur along streams, between large rocks, under scrub (mainly of Sorbus aucuparia), in mosaic with Alnus and Salix scrub, and on the edge of forests. In spite of the high atmospheric humidity, bryophytes do not play an important role in the vegetation. At all these places, snow may accumulate during winter and the vegetation is unmistakeably chionophilous. Along streams, the communities may form long strips of hundreds of meters, mostly just a few meters wide, at other places they occur in the form of patches. The height of the – generally one-layered – stand reaches up to 1.5-2 m, with tall herbs and grasses as dominants, sometimes with a high cover of ferns. The cover of the vegetation is almost always 100%. The species composition of the plant communities is very diverse, with a high number of endemic species, reflecting the isolated position of these ecosystems, similar to other high-mountain vegetation types. The endemic species belong to genera like Aconitum, Alchemilla, Angelica, Cirsium, Geum and Ranunculus. From a historic-geographic point of view, the occurrence of a number of species that nowadays dominate lowland meadows is interesting, like Arrhenatherum elatius. Widespread species in these conspicuous mountain communities are Adenostyles alliariae, Veratrum album, Lilium martagon and Cicerbita alpina, among others. The plant diversity is reflected in the distinction of various alliances, but they all belong to the class Mulgedio-Aconitetea. Most of the communities are natural, but also the semi-ruderal and eutrophic tall-forb communities near resting places of cattle (assigned to the alliance Rumicion alpini) belong to this habitat type.
Indicators of good quality:
- High species richness
- Richness of regional endemics and rare species
- Lacking of invasive and/or ruderal species
- Dominance of tall-herbs, tall grasses or ferns
Threat status
Synthesis of Red List assessment
EU | |
Red List Category | Red List Criteria |
Least Concern | - |
Europe | |
Red List Category | Red List Criteria |
Least Concern | - |
Confidence in the assessment
Pressures and threats
- Agriculture
- Intensive grazing
- Human intrusions and disturbances
- Mountaineering & rock climbing
Habitat restoration potential
Trends in extent |
|
Average current trend in quantity |
|
Increasing ![]() |
Decreasing ![]() |
EU28 | EU28+ |
Trends in quality |
|
Average current trend in quality |
|
Decreasing ![]() |
Decreasing ![]() |
EU28 | EU28+ |
Conservation and management needs
List of conservation and management needs
- No measures
- No measures needed for the conservation of the habitat/species
Distribution
Geographic occurrence and trends
EU28 | Present or presence uncertain | Current area of habitat (Km2) | Recent trend in quantity (last 50 years) | Recent trend in quality (last 50 years) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Austria | Present | 250 | Stable | Stable |
Bulgaria | Present | 47 | Decreasing | Decreasing |
Croatia | Present | 35 | Stable | Stable |
Czech Republic | Present | 8 | Decreasing | Decreasing |
Finland mainland | Present | 1 | Stable | Stable |
France mainland | Present | 750 | Stable | Increasing |
Germany | Present | 10 | Decreasing | Decreasing |
Greece (mainland and other islands) | Present | 8 | Unknown | Unknown |
Ireland | Present | 1 | Stable | Stable |
Italy mainland | Present | 160 | Decreasing | Decreasing |
Poland | Present | 6 | Decreasing | Decreasing |
Romania | Present | 30 | Decreasing | Decreasing |
Slovakia | Present | 4 | Stable | Stable |
Slovenia | Present | 90 | Stable | Stable |
Spain mainland | Present | 30 | Stable | Stable |
United Kingdom | Present | 23 | Stable | Stable |
EU28 + | Present or presence uncertain | Current area of habitat (Km2) | Recent trend in quantity (last 50 years) | Recent trend in quality (last 50 years) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Albania | Present | 2 | Decreasing | Stable |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | Present | 20 | Decreasing | Decreasing |
Kosovo | Present | Stable | Stable | |
Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) | Present | Decreasing | Unknown | |
Switzerland | Present | 1250 | Decreasing | Decreasing |
Kaliningrad | Present | - | - | |
Montenegro | Present | - | - | |
Norway Mainland | Present | - | - | |
Serbia | Present | - | - |
Extent of Occurrence, Area of Occupancy and habitat area
Extent of Occurrence (EOO) (Km2) | Area of Occupancy (AOO) | Current estimated Total Area | Comment | |
---|---|---|---|---|
EU28 | 6752000 | 4257 | 1453 | |
EU28+ | 4458 | 2725 |
EOO = the area (km2) of the envelope around all occurrences of a habitat (calculated by a minimum convex polygon).
Characteristic species
Species scientific name | English common name | Species group |
---|---|---|
Athyrium filix-femina | Ferns | |
Oreopteris limbosperma | Ferns | |
Adenostyles alliariae | Flowering Plants | |
Arrhenatherum elatius | Flowering Plants | |
Aruncus dioicus | Flowering Plants | |
Atropa baetica | Flowering Plants | |
Carduus personata | Flowering Plants | |
Chaerophyllum villarsii | Flowering Plants | |
Cicerbita alpina | Flowering Plants | |
Lilium martagon | Flowering Plants | |
Lunaria rediviva | Flowering Plants | |
Narcissus nevadensis | Flowering Plants | |
Phyteuma ovatum | Flowering Plants | |
Sorbus aucuparia | Flowering Plants | |
Veratrum album | Flowering Plants |
Legal status
Relation to other habitat types mentioned in legal instruments
Vegetation types
Relation to vegetation types (syntaxa)
Not availableOther classifications
Classification | Code | Habitat type name | Relationship type |
---|---|---|---|
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200711 | E5.5 | Subalpine moist or wet tall-herb and fern stands | same |