Thermophilous grass-rich anthropogenic vegetation rich in summer-annual C4 species in the southern nemoral, mediterranean, steppe and semi-desert zones of Europe
Digitario sanguinalis-Eragrostietea minoris Mucina, Lososová et Šilc in Mucina et al. 2016
Digitario sanguinalis-Eragrostietea minoris Mucina, Lososová et Šilc in Mucina et al. 2016
dig01 | This class is a novel syntaxonomic concept reflecting the special ecology of synanthropic communities dominated by C4 plants. These are not very common in Europe (Pyankov et al. 2010) and occur here prevalently in the Southern Europe experiencing prolonged periods of summer drought and high temperature (the Mediterranean) or, when in nemoral zone, then on substrates that drain and desiccate quickly. It is not surprising that major floristic components (e.g. some Chenopodiaceae, Amaranthaceae, Euphorbiaceae and Poaceae, especially subfamilies Panicoideae and Chloridoideae) are presumed to have originated in subtropical regions and today occur prevalently there and in the warm-temperate regions. Full description of the class and syntaxonomic comparisons to other ruderal and segetal vegetation will be published elsewhere. Here within, we describe the new class in a formal way and designate the Eragrostietalia J. Tx. ex Poli 1966 (Poli 1966: 60−74) as the holotypus hoc loco of the class and list the following species as diagnostic of the new class: Amaranthus albus, A. blitoides, A. blitum, A. crispus, A. deflexus, A. graecizans, A. viridis, Bassia scoparia, Corispermum canescens, C. leptopterum, Cynodon dactylon, Digitaria ischaemum, D. sanguinalis, Diplotaxis muralis, D. tenuifolia, Dysphania ambrosioides, D. botrys, D. multifida, Echinochloa colonum, E. crus-gallii, Eleusine indica, Eragrostis barrelieri, E. minor, Erigeron bonariensis, Euphorbia chamaesyce, E. humifusa, E. maculata, E. prostrata, Heliotropium europaeum, Lepidium densiflorum and others. (L. Mucina).