A Flora e Vegetação da Serra de Monfurado (Alto Alentejo-Portugal)

Abstract

The territory studied is situated in Monfurado Hills (Serra de Monfurado) and takes in a stretch of the rivers Alcáçovas and Almansor and adjacent regions. It has a Mediterranean pluviseasonal-oceanic macrobioclimate and mostly demonstrates mesomediterranean inferior bioclimatic features, although the Monfurado Hills constitute a feature of orographic relief often experiencing high levels of precipitation. In biogeographical terms, the territory is part of the Mariânico-Monchiquense Sector, located in the Araceno-Pacense Subsector and in the Alentejano District. It was characterized geomorphologically, hydrographically, geologically, pedologically, climatically and biogeographically. A study of the flora and natural and semi-natural vegetation was carried out with a view to its use as a support for initiatives for the sustainable use and management of the territory. A catalogue was drawn up comprising 802 different taxa, including 96 families. As a result of the process of identification of phytocoenoses, in which the Braun-Blanquet or classical sigma method, updated by Gehú & Rivas-Martínez (1981), was used: 70 associations and 13 communities were identified. There is a discussion of the synphytosociology of five climatophyl series (Asparago aphylli-Querceto suberis S., Pyro bourgaeanae-Querceto rotundifoliae S, Sanguisorbo hybridae-Querceto broteroi S., Arbuto unedonis-Querceto pyrenaicae S e Lonicera implexae- Querceto rotundifoliae S.) and ten edafophyls (Ficario ranunculoidis-Fraxineto angustifoliae S., Scrophulario scorodoniae-Alneto glutinosae S., Viti vinifera- Saliceto atrocinerea S., Saliceto atrocinereo-australis S., Populo nigrae-Saliceto neotrichae S., Opopanaco chironii-Ulmeto minoris, S., Fraxinus angustifolia and Quercus pyrenaica communitie, Salix atrocinerea and Quercus faginea subsp. broteroi communitie, Polygono equisetiformis-Tamariceto africanae S. e Pyro bourgaeana-Securinegeto buxifoliae S.), which was those most commonly studied in the territory.