R57Z Forest fringes and clearings on acid soils, with fire-loving tall-herb vegetation

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Description

Tall-herb perennial vegetation of forest fringes in acidic, mildly and ephemerally nitrified soils in cool, upland areas.

Protection

This habitat is not protected under the EU Habitat Directive.

Floristic Composition

Frequent species

Epilobium angustifolium 100%, Digitalis purpurea 83%, Avenella flexuosa 50%, Luzula lactea 42%, Galium verum 33%, Linaria triornithophora 33%, Helictochloa marginata 25%, Eryngium duriaei 25%, Teucrium scorodonia 25%, Jasione montana 25%, Vaccinium myrtillus 25%, Peucedanum gallicum 25%, Hypericum richeri 25%, Asphodelus albus 25%, Neoschischkinia truncatula 17%, Scrophularia alpestris 17%, Genista florida 17%, Helleborus foetidus 17%, Lilium martagon 17%, Hypochaeris radicata 17%, Jacobaea adonidifolia 17%, Viola riviniana aggr. 17%, Potentilla sterilis 17%, Scabiosa columbaria 17%, Silene nutans 17%, Arrhenatherum elatius 17%, Betula celtiberica 17%, Agrostis capillaris 17%, Crepis capillaris 17%, Cynoglossum officinale 17%, Cytisus scoparius 17%, Anemone nemorosa 17%, Solidago virgaurea 17%, Erica arborea 17%, Euphorbia hyberna 17%, Sisymbrium austriacum 17%, Periballia involucrata 8%, Picris hieracioides 8%, Vicia orobus 8%, Sedum forsterianum 8%, Physospermum cornubiense 8%, Valeriana montana aggr. 8%, Senecio nebrodensis 8%, Rubus ulmifolius 8%, Rumex acetosa 8%, Rumex acetosella 8%, Omphalodes nitida 8%, Melittis melissophyllum 8%, Galium saxatile 8%, Festuca summilusitana 8%, Festuca elegans 8%, Dryopteris filix-mas 8%, Doronicum carpetanum 8%, Coincya monensis 8%, Campanula lusitanica 8%, Arenaria montana 8%, Genista tridentata 8%, Gentiana lutea 8%, Lonicera periclymenum 8%, Leucanthemum vulgare 8%, Leucanthemum ircutianum 8%, Lathyrus linifolius 8%, Biscutella laevigata aggr. 8%, Hypericum pulchrum 8%, Holcus lanatus 8%, Gnaphalium sylvaticum 8%, Anthoxanthum odoratum 8%

Phytosociology

  • Asphodelo arrondeaui-Epilobietum angustifolii
  • Luzulo lacteae-Eryngietum duriaei

Relations with other habitat types

This vegetation occupies colder, drier, more acidic, less disturbed and nutrient-poorer situations than R55Z, benefitting only from the brief spike of free nutrients derived from ashes after a fire or by the enhanced mineralisation of organic matter when a tree falls and the soils is warmed by direct sunlight. It is typically composed by biennial or short-lived tall perennial plants with large, showy inflorescences attracting pollinators even to scattered clearings, therefore enhancing the production of many genetically diverse seeds, which—as a consequence of the height of the plants—are efficiently dispersed by wind or on the fur of animals, all of which represents a successful strategy in such a spatio-temporally variable regeneration niche.

Regional distribution

Known occurrences and potential area of occupancy of the habitat type in the study region.

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Citation: IBEROATLANTICA – Flora and Habitats of the Cantabrian Mixed Forests ecoregion.
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