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Phytosociological study of Cupressus sempervirens dominated stands in South Croatia

The Mediterranean cypress (Cupressus sempervirens L.) is a medium-size evergreen coniferous tree whose natural habitats are found in the eastern Mediterranean basin and the Middle East. Its natural distribution comprises the Aegean islands (Greece), Cyprus, Turkey (south Anatolia), northeast Africa (Libya, Tunisia), and the Middle East (Iran, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria), although recent studies on genetic and paleobotanic records presume the presence of central Mediterranean natural populations. It has been widely cultivated and naturalized elsewhere since historical periods. Today the distribution of this species, principally the columnar form, comprises most of the Mediterranean basin and Middle East, favoured by human cultivation since the time of ancient civilisations, and more recently all over the world as an ornamental tree. The aims of the present study were to contribute to the knowledge of biodiversity and phytosociology of the cypress stands in Croatia. Phytosociological data (41 relevés) were collected in the period 2021–2022 on the Pelješac peninsula and in the Konavle region (south Croatia). The relevés were carried out according to the Braun-Blanquet approach (Westhoff and vander Maarel 1980) on plot sizes of 400 m2. The main physical features of the habitat (e.g., slope, exposition, etc.) were also recorded. In Croatia, C. sempervirens (var. pyramidalis) grows within the vegetation of the Fraxino orni-Quercion ilicis and Oleo-Ceratonion siliquae, on the Pelješac and in Konavle, respectively. Physionomically, they are, indeed, dry forests with a high presence of C. sempervirens and Pinus halepensis in the tree layer. They are generally open, which allows the entry of different species, such as trees, shrubs, chamaephytes and herbs, in relation to edaphic and climatic factors. Shrub layer is dominated by majority of the typical Mediterranean evergreen sclerophyllous and deciduous shrubs (mostly Quercus ilex, Fraxinus ornus, Arbutus unedo, etc.). Sometimes stands form a very rich herbaceous cover consisting of many Mediterranean species including many Ophrys and Orchis taxa. The present study did not confirm the presence of the stands of the Cyathoselino- Cupressetum horizontalis association previously reported by Lovrić (1985) from the Pelješac peninsula. In the study region, cypress inhabits degraded and impoverished macchia or garrigues and anthropogenic surfaces, and may be consider as a pioneer species, growing quickly on most types of soils such as calcareous, clayish, dry and poor soils. It is well adapted to the Mediterranean climate and able to tolerate prolonged drought and high temperatures. According to their floristic composition, these stands showed some silimilarities with mixed forests codominated by Quercus ilex or Pistacia lentiscus (Querco ilicis- Cupressetum sempervirentis, Pistacio lentisci- Cupressetum sempervirentis) recently described from Crete (Greece). The results of this study provide a significant contribution by summarising quantitative data it provides about C. sempervirens dominated stands in this part of the NE Mediterranean. Here, cypress forms naturalized stands ; however due to its high aesthetic values it also has an important role in landscape physiognomy. Indeed, such landscape becomes an integral part of the identity of local communities and Croatian natural heritage.

Croatia ; Mediterranean climate ; phytosociology ; South Europe ; vegetation

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