S42m Erica arborea heaths

New search

Description

Tall heaths in not too eroded siliceous areas preserving their full potential to support woodlands, especially of the units T182, T19A, T1By and T1D7. They thrive on more organic, less readily drained soils than those colonised by broom communities of the block S33. The small seeds of the dominant species enable an immediate colonisation of clearings and fringes, but as soon as birds kick-in, the evolution towards thickets of the unit S353 is rapid. Since the dominant species is a heath, we opt for creating the necessary new unit (all EUNIS units mentioning Erica arborea, mostly in the block @S5, correspond to purely Mediterranean communities, highly different from these very original neatly Atlantic and often almost paradoxically orophilous and cold- and snow-resistant shrublands) within S42, but the just described spatiotemporal position would rather suggest its inclusion in S33, as traditionally done by syntaxonomical formalism.

Floristic Composition

Frequent species

Erica arborea 1, Pteridium aquilinum 0.59, Vaccinium myrtillus 0.37, Calluna vulgaris 0.34, Daboecia cantabrica 0.32, Avenella flexuosa 0.31, Teucrium scorodonia 0.29, Arenaria montana 0.25, Potentilla erecta 0.24, Genista florida 0.23, Genista falcata 0.22, Ulex minor aggr. 0.22, Viola riviniana aggr. 0.2, Erica cinerea 0.2, Agrostis capillaris 0.18, Blechnum spicant 0.18, Holcus mollis 0.17, Erica vagans 0.17, Erica australis 0.17, Cytisus scoparius 0.15, Digitalis purpurea 0.15, Quercus pyrenaica 0.15, Galium saxatile 0.14, Helictochloa marginata 0.13, Arbutus unedo 0.13, Stellaria holostea 0.13, Betula celtiberica 0.13, Fagus sylvatica 0.13, Festuca elegans 0.12, Oxalis acetosella 0.11, Sorbus aucuparia 0.11, Lonicera periclymenum 0.11, Brachypodium pinnatum 0.11, Cytisus striatus 0.11, Crataegus monogyna 0.11, Anemone nemorosa 0.11, Hedera helix aggr. 0.11, Erica scoparia 0.11, Sedum forsterianum 0.1, Saxifraga spathularis 0.1, Cistus ladanifer 0.1, Dryopteris affinis 0.1, Lavandula pedunculata 0.1, Lotus corniculatus 0.1, Euphorbia dulcis 0.1, Clinopodium vulgare 0.09, Frangula alnus 0.09, Hypochaeris radicata 0.08, Halimium alyssoides 0.08, Rubia peregrina 0.08, Rubus ulmifolius 0.08, Helictotrichon thorei 0.08, Daphne gnidium 0.08, Genista tridentata 0.08, Agrostis castellana 0.08, Quercus rotundifolia 0.08, Quercus robur 0.08, Halimium umbellatum 0.08, Erica umbellata 0.07, Solidago virgaurea 0.07, Cistus inflatus 0.07, Corylus avellana 0.07, Brachypodium sylvaticum 0.06, Cytisus cantabricus aggr. 0.06, Salix atrocinerea 0.06, Luzula sylvatica 0.06, Cytisus multiflorus 0.06, Cistus salviifolius 0.06, Cruciata glabra 0.06, Ilex aquifolium 0.06, Conopodium majus aggr. 0.06, Melampyrum pratense 0.06, Anthoxanthum odoratum 0.05, Asplenium adiantum-nigrum aggr. 0.05, Glandora diffusa 0.05, Sanguisorba verrucosa 0.05, Phillyrea angustifolia 0.05, Physospermum cornubiense 0.05, Jasione montana 0.05, Hypericum pulchrum 0.05, Genista hystrix 0.05

Regional distribution

Known occurrences and potential area of occupancy of the habitat type in the study region.
© 2025 IBEROATLANTICA
Citation: IBEROATLANTICA – Flora and Habitats of the Cantabrian Mixed Forests ecoregion.
www.IberoAtlantica.eu