S351 Medio-European rich-soil thickets

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Description

Thickets of thorny or toxic, bird-dispersed woody bushes and climbers on basic soils, in montane areas too cold in winter for most evergreen woody plants to survive.

Protection

This habitat is not protected under the EU Habitat Directive.

Floristic Composition

Frequent species

Crataegus monogyna 90%, Prunus spinosa 81%, Rosa canina aggr. 77%, Rubus ulmifolius 62%, Rosa micrantha 31%, Lonicera periclymenum 27%, Euonymus europaeus 23%, Hedera helix aggr. 23%, Dioscorea communis 23%, Rhamnus cathartica 21%, Viburnum lantana 21%, Sambucus nigra 20%, Ligustrum vulgare 19%, Clematis vitalba 18%, Ribes alpinum 18%, Corylus avellana 18%, Cornus sanguinea 17%, Brachypodium pinnatum 17%, Geranium robertianum 16%, Rhamnus alpina 15%, Pteridium aquilinum 15%, Rubia peregrina 15%, Acer campestre 15%, Daphne gnidium 15%, Helleborus viridis 14%, Bryonia dioica 14%, Fraxinus excelsior 14%, Urtica dioica 14%, Prunus mahaleb 13%, Berberis vulgaris aggr. 13%, Rosa dumalis aggr. 13%, Cytisus scoparius 13%, Teucrium scorodonia 13%, Rosa tomentosa 12%, Fraxinus angustifolia 12%, Juniperus communis 12%, Prunus avium 11%, Viola riviniana aggr. 11%, Euphorbia amygdaloides 11%, Brachypodium sylvaticum 10%, Galium aparine aggr. 10%, Crataegus laevigata 10%, Quercus rotundifolia 10%, Ruscus aculeatus 9%, Origanum vulgare 9%, Rosa pouzinii 9%, Fragaria vesca 9%, Fagus sylvatica 9%, Ribes uva-crispa 8%, Sedum forsterianum 8%, Dactylis glomerata 8%, Sanicula europaea 8%, Holcus lanatus 8%, Rosa villosa 7%, Helleborus foetidus 7%, Cirsium vulgare 7%, Rubus caesius 7%, Sorbus aria 7%, Quercus robur 7%, Lonicera xylosteum 7%, Erica vagans 7%, Geranium lucidum 7%, Clinopodium vulgare 7%, Lonicera etrusca 7%, Glechoma hederacea 7%, Viola alba 7%, Lathyrus latifolius 7%, Pistacia terebinthus 6%, Arum italicum 6%, Daphne laureola 6%, Potentilla sterilis 6%, Agrostis stolonifera 5%, Potentilla reptans 5%, Plantago media 5%, Bellis perennis 5%, Chaerophyllum hirsutum 5%, Stellaria holostea 5%, Malus sylvestris 5%, Silene baccifera 5%, Rosa agrestis 5%, Galium mollugo aggr. 5%, Foeniculum vulgare 5%, Viscum album 5%

Phytosociology

  • Mercuriali perennis-Rosetum villosae
  • Pruno spinosae-Berberidetum cantabricae
  • Rhamno catharticae-Crataegetum laevigatae
  • Rhamno catharticae-Ribesetum alpini
  • Rosetum corymbifero-vosagiacae
  • Rubo ulmifolii-Rosetum corymbiferae

Relations with other habitat types

This scrub, whose lowland thermophilous analogue is S355, is successionally associated to both zonal (mostly T172) and subriparian deciduous forests (certain mountain variants of T111 and T1E1).

Regional distribution

By protecting the seedlings of defenseless but faster-growing trees from predation by large herbivores, these dense tangles facilitate, in the absence of new disturbances, the recovery of a tree canopy starting from S33 or S73 scrub. This property led to its cooption as hedges in traditional agrarian landscapes, increasing its abundance throughout the inner areas of the ecoregion, these days also by invading abandoned fields.

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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