Temperate, lowland to montane base-rich scree

Mostly coarse, unstabilized, dry, sunny, calcareous and marble screes of the colline and montane levels of the low- to mid-altitude levels of the temperate European reliefs, including the piedmonts of the Alps, Jura, Pyrenees, Carpathians and Hercynian ranges. They are located on the slopes of mountains, hills, but also in gorges. The vegetation can completely lack, but in other cases is represented by forb- or fern- dominated communities. The main plant species are Achnatherum calamagrostis, Melica ciliata, Galeopsis angustifolia, Rumex scutatus, Vincetoxicum hirundinaria and the ferns Gymnocarpium dryopteris. The fern swards colonize often slightly damp parts of screes. Other species in these more mesophilous screes are Eupatorium cannabinum, Valeriana officinalis, Galeopsis ladanum. The vegetation mostly belongs to the alliances Stipion calamagrostis and Arabidion alpinae. The plant communities of calcareous screes of the Paris basin and its periphery (Leontodontion hyoseroidis) have many rare or endemic plants, like the endangered endemic Viola hispida. The screes of the Eastern Carpathians are characterized by the presence of numerous sub-Mediterranean thermophilous species and some Balkan-Carpathian subendemics, which penetrate northwards from the south to the sunny and warm habitats. Carpathian endemics on screes in Romania are amongst others Silene nutans subsp. dubia and Thymus comosus. Similar communities can occur on secondary substrates, like quarries. 

Indicators of quality:

The following characteristics may be considered as indicators of good quality:
•    natural erosion processes
•    absence of non-native species (e.g. Robinia pseudacacia may support the processes of stabilisation of screes and extinction of the typical flora)
•    presence of habitat rare, endemic and relict species
•    absence of human activities, like grazing.

Synthesis of Red List assessment

Confidence in the assessment

Pressures and threats