Plant communities with Pinus sylvestris L and P-nigra Arnold subsp salzmannii (Dunal) Franco of the Spanish Sistema Central: a phytosociological approximation

A phytosociological study of forests with Pinus sylvestris and P. nigra sub sp. salzmannii of the Spanish Sistema Central has been made, establishing a comparison with 683 coniferous communities. As a result of the application of the concepts of Kopecky & Hejny (1974), Foucault (1981), Dierschke (199 3) and Kopecky et al. (1995), on the releves made following Braun-Blanquet (1964), the Vaccinio-Piceetea class and the Pinetalia sylvestris order are recognized inside the Iberian Peninsula. Moreover, the plant communities wi th Echinospartum barnadesii and Senecio carpetanus are interpreted as geogr aphical races. Other aspects of the juniper communities of Junipero nanae-C ytisetum oromediterranei (subassociations, variants and relic forms) are al so races. The presence of P. nigra subsp. salzmannii inside the forests of Quercus pyrenaica is considered as a thermic relic form, and the communitie s with P. sylvestris as altitudinal forms.