International Journal of Geobotanical Research, Vol. nº 2. 2012. pp. 111-116 Description of some new syntaxa from the Azores archipelago José Antonio FERNÁNDEZ PRIETO (1), Carlos AGUIAR (2) & Eduardo DIAS (3) (1) Área de Botánica. Departamento de Biología de Organismos y Sistemass. Universidad de Oviedo. C/ Catedrático Rodrigo Uría, s/n, 330071-Oviedo. España; [email protected] (2) CIMO-Centro de Investigação de Montanha. Instituto Politécnico de Bragança. 5301-855 Bragança. Portugal; [email protected] (3) Departamento de Ciências Agrárias. Universidade dos Açores. Campus de Angra, Terra-Cha 9701-851 Angra do Heroísmo. Portugal; [email protected] Abstract: A new clase Tolpido azoricae-Holcetea rigidi (non grazed perennial plant communities of rocky and earthy scarps, slope deposits and natural forest fringes ); two new orders Tolpido azoricae-Holcetalia rigidi and Frangulo azoricae-Lauretalia azoricae (ever- green broad-leaved micro-mesoforest); four new alliances Thelipterido pozoi-Woodwardion redicantis (comophytic plant communi- ties ), Ornithopo pinnati-gaudion coarctatae (pionner oligotrophic therophitic plant communities), Tolpido suculentae-Agrostion congestiflorae (perennial graminoid communities of cliffs and landslide scarps) and Pericallion malvifoliae (perennial herbs commu- nities of semi-shaded of woodlands), and 14 news associations are described and typified for the Azores archipelago in this paper. Five associations and two alliances are lectotyfied or proposed for the name correction respectively. Key words: New sintaxa, Phytosociology, Azores. Introduction Syntaxa description The Azores is probably the last European territory to 13. SCHEUCHZERIO PALUSTRIS-CARICETEA NIGRAE require a high ranking formal syntaxonomy. In fact, the Tüxen 1937 nom. mut. Rivas-Martínez & al. 2002 published phytosociological studies about the vegetation 13b. CARICETALIA NIGRAE Koch 1926 em. Br.-Bl. 1948 of Azores, following the methods and concepts of the nom. mut. Rivas-Martínez & al. 2002 Zurich-Montpellier school, and the rules of the Interna- 13.3. Anagallido tenellae-Juncion bulbosi Br.-Bl. tional Code of Phytosociological Nomenclature (Weber 1967 et al. 2000), are limited to three publications by D. Lüp- 13.3.3. Eleocharito multicaulis-Caricetum cedercreu- nitz in the 1970s (Lüpnitz, 1975a, b and Lüpnitz, 1976), tzii F. Prieto & Aguiar ass. nova hoc loco and to the recent description of a noteworthy group of Meso- and supratemperate minerotrophic peatlands, new syntaxa, mainly forests and tall shrublands, among usually dominated by Carex cedercreutzii and Eleo- them a new vegetation class, the Lauro azoricae-Junipe- charis multicaulis. retea brevifoliae, by Rivas-Martínez et al. (in Rivas- Typus associatio: S. Jorge: Serra do Topo, Pedra Ver- Martínez et al. 2002a, b). melha. Altitude 775 m, orientation W, slope 20º, We recognize in this paper a new vegetation class, surface 3 m2, cover 70%. Characteristic species: 1 two new orders, four new alliances and thirteen new Carex cedercreutzii, 2 Eleocharis multicaulis, 2 associations. At the same time, we have carried out a Anagallis tenella, + Viola palustris subsp. juresii; conceptual and nomenclatural revision of some less clear Companion species: 3 Agrostis azorica, 1 Poten- published syntaxa. In the description of the new associa- tilla erecta, + Leontodon taraxacoides, + Carex tions, only the type relevé has been transcribed, and all pilulifera subsp. azorica, + Huperzia dentata. the new syntaxa have been intentionally depicted in a minimal way. In a previous publication (Fernández 17. CRITHMO MARITIMI-LIMONIETEA Br.-Bl. in Br.-Bl., Prieto et al., 2006) we presented many of the syntaxa Roussine & Nègre 1952 nom. mut. Rivas-Martínez here validated. A comprehensive revision of the vegeta- & al. 2002 tion of the Azores will be soon published in Global Geo- 17b. CRITHMO-ARMERIETALIA Géhu 1968 botany. Syntaxa numbers follow the same authors. All the 17.6. Euphorbio azoricae-Festucion petraeae Lüp- nitz 1975 described syntaxa, excepting the alliance Thelipterido pozzoi-Woodwardion radicantes, are endemic to the Communities of the Azores sea cliffs. Azores Archipelago. Typus alliancia: Festucetum petraeae Lüpnitz 1976. Corresponding author: José Antonio Fernández Prieto. Área de Botánica. Departamento de Biología de Organismos y Sistemas. Universidad de Oviedo. C/ Catedrático Rodrigo Uría, s/n, 330071-Oviedo. España; E-mail: [email protected] ISSN: 2253-6302 (print)/ISSN: 2253-6515 (on line) ©Editaefa DOI: 10.5616/ijgr 120007 112 J.A.F. Prieto, C. Aguiar & E. Dias Characteristic species: Azorina vidali, Daucus azori- species: 3 Stegnogramma pozoi, 1 Selaginella azo- cus, Euphorbia azorica, Festuca petraea, Myosotis rica, + Diplazium caudatum, 2 Cystopteris dia- maritima, Solidago sempervirens subsp. azorica, phana. Spergularia azorica. 40. TUBERARIETEA GUTTATAE (Br.-Bl. in Br.-Bl., Rous- 17.6.1. Azorinetum vidalii Lüpnitz 1976 nom. mut sine & Nègre 1952) Rivas Goday & Rivas-Martínez [= Campanuletum vidalii Lüpnitz 1976]a 1963 em. Rivas-Martínez 1978 nom. mut. Rivas- 17.6.2. Festucetum petraeae Lüpnitz 1976 Martínez & al. 2002 17.6.3. Festuco petraeae-Juncetum acuti F. Prieto & 40a. TUBERARIETALIA GUTTATI Br.-Bl. in Br.-Bl., Moli- Aguiar ass nova hoc loco nier & Wagner 1940 em. Rivas-Martínez 1978 Diagnosis: Communities of Juncus acutus and Fes- Rivas-Martínez & al. 2002 tuca petraea inhabiting littoral lava bed depressions 40.6. Ornithopo pinnati-Gaudinion coarctatae F. Prie- filled with coarse texture deposits, temporarily sub- to & Aguiar all. nova hoc loco merged by sea water; sometimes also in rocky seas- Pioneer, oligotrophic, spring and early summer ephe- hores. meral plant communities from the thermomediterra- Typus associatio: Pico: Cachorro. Altitude 0 m, orien- nean and thermotemperate vegetation belts of the tation -, slope -, surface 20 m2, cover 50%. Charac- Azorean Islands. The annual oligotrophic grasslands teristic species: 3 Juncus acutus, 1 Festuca petraea, + Crithmum maritimum; Companion species: + of Azores are mainly constituted by introduced spe- Atriplex prostrata, + Cyrtomium falcatum. cies, although there is a consistent group of endemic species of Azores, or of Azores and other Macarone- 17.6.4. Spergularietum azoricae Lüpnitz 1976 sian archipelagos. These two arguments justify the 26. ANOMODONTO VITICULOSAE-POLYPODIETEA CAM- proposal of this new alliance. The lack of basophilous BRICI Rivas-Martínez 1975 therophyts explains the assignment of the Ornithopo- 26.a. ANOMODONTO VITICULOSAE-POLYPODIETALIA CAM- Gaudinion coarctatae to Tuberarietalia guttatae. BRICI O. Bolòs & Vives in O. Bolòs 1957 Typus alliancia: Ornithopo pinnati-Gaudinietum 26.4. Thelipterido pozzoi-Woodwardion radicantis F. coarctatae, designated here. Prieto & Aguiar all. nova hoc loco. Characteristic species: Aichrysum villosum, Gaudinia coarctata, Lolium aristatum and Rostraria azorica. Comophytic communities of rocky or earthy slopes dominated by medium to large sized ferns, present on 40.6.1. Ornithopo pinnati-Gaudinietum coarctatae rainy temperate and Mediterranean hyperoceanic te- F. Prieto & Aguiar ass. nova hoc loco rritories, in the Madeiran and Atlantic European pro- Diagnosis: Therophytic pioneer phytocoenosis do- vinces. minated by the Azores endemic annual grass Gaudi- Typus alliancia: Diplazio caudati -Woodwardietum nia coarctata. It has a strong pioneer character and a radicantis, designated here. manifest preference for recent lava flows (“misté- Characteristic species: Cystopteris diaphana, Dipla- rios”). zium caudatum, Stegnogramma pozoi, Selaginella Typus associatio: Pico: Madalena, Cais do Mourato. 2 azorica and Woodwardia radicans. Altitude 5 m, orientation -, slope -, surface 3 m , cover 20%. Characteristic species: 3 Gaudinia 26.4.2. Diplazio caudati-Woodwardietum radicantis coarctata, 3 Ornithopus pinnatus, 1 Aira caryo- F. Prieto & Aguiar ass. nova hoc loco. phyllea, + Lotus hispidus, + Silene gallica, 1 Lotus Diagnosis: Comophytic community dominated by angustissimus; Companion species: + Leontodon Woodwardia radicans, with a meso- to supratempe- taraxacoides, 1 Plantago coronopus, 1 Polycarpum rate distribution in the Azorean Sector. tetraphyllum. Typus associatio: Faial: Caldera of Faial, way down to the caldera. Altitude 580 m, orientation W, slope 48. TOLPIDO AZORICAE-HOLCETEA RIGIDI F. Prieto & 90º, surface 4 m2, cover 80%. Characteristic spe- Aguiar classis nova hoc loco cies: 4 Woodwardia radicans, 2 Selaginella azori- Non grazed perennial vascular plant communities of ca, + Stegnogramma pozoi, + Diplazium cauda- rocky and earthy scarps, slope deposits and natural fo- tum; Companion species: 1 Athyrium filix-femina, rests fringes, dominated by endemic graminoids, hemi- + Blechnum spicant, + Carex guthnickiana, + Os- cryptophytes and dwarf chamaephytic herbs. It is ende- munda regalis, 1 Sibthorpia europaea. mic of the thermomediterranean and thermo- to supra- 26.4.3. Selaginello azoricae-Stegnogrammetum po- temperate belts of the Azorean biogeographic Province. zoi F. Prieto & Aguiar ass. nova hoc loco The majority of the endemic vascular grasses and forbs Diagnosis: Thermo- and mesotemperate comophytic of the Azores are characteristic of this vegetation class; it community of rocky or earthy slopes, dominated by is plausible that almost all of the non-endemics found in Stegnogramma pozoi and Selaginella azorica, fre- its communities are allochthonous species. The thorough quently establishing vegetation mosaic with the Di- floristic dissimilarities between