31.44 - Alpigenic high mountain Empetrum-Vaccinium heaths

Classification des habitats du Paléarctique (2001)

Description

Dwarf heaths dominated by Empetrum hermaphroditum and Vaccinium uliginosum, with Arctostaphylos alpinus, Vaccinium myrtillus, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, lycopodes (Huperzia selago, Diphasiastrum alpinum), mosses (Barbilophozia lycopodioides, Hylocomium splendens, Pleurozium schreberi, Rhythidiadelphus triquetrus) and lichens (Cetraria islandica, Cladonia arbuscula, Cladonia rangiferina, Cladonia stellaris, Cladonia gracilis, Peltigera aphthosa) of the subalpine belt of the Alps, the Carpathians, the Dinarides, the Pyrenees, the Central Massif, the Sudeten, the Jura, the Northern Apennines, characteristic of relatively windswept, snow-free stations, in frost-exposure situations that are, however, less extreme than those prevailing where communities of unit 31.41 dominate. Unlike the formations of 31.41, those of 31.44 are clearly two-layered.

Correspondances phytosociologiques

Loiseleurio-Vaccinietea: Loiseleurio-Vaccinietalia: Loiseleurio-Vaccinion: Empetro-Vaccinietum uliginosi (Empetro-Vaccinietum gaultherioidis, Vaccinio uliginosi-Empetretum hermaphrodici)

Bibliographie

Devillers P., Devillers-Terschuren J. & Vander Linden C., 2001. PHYSIS Palaearctic Habitat Classification Database. Updated to 10 December 2001. Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles, Bruxelles. (Source)

Ellenberg, 1963, 1988; Horvat & al., 1974: 590; Matuszkiewicz and Matuszkiewicz, 1975: 76-80; Gruber, 1978; Gimingham & al., 1979; Matuszkiewicz, 1984: 102, 209; Polunin and Walters, 1985; Oberdorfer, 1990, 1992b; Pott, 1992: 329; Coldea, 1991: 384; Grabherr, 1993d: 454-456; Wojtun & al., 1998.