19E3
Mountain purple moorgrass (Molinia caerulea) meadows
Relationships with habitat classifications. EUNIS: E3.51 [Molinia caerulea] meadows and related communities; PAL. CLASS.: 37.31 Purple moorgrass meadows and related communities; HD 92/43: 6410 Molinia meadows on calcareous, peaty or clayey silt-laden soils (Molinion caeruleae); Bondev (1991): 5 Hygropsychrophytes (peat bog) communities (Cariceta acutae, Cariceta echinatae, Cariceta rostratae, Sphagneta spp., Saliceta lapponi, Primuleta deori, Hygronardeta etc).
Conservation status. BDA, HD, BC.
Category. Vulnerable [VU – A1, 2 D2 E2 F2 H2 I].
General characteristics. The mountain meadows of Molinia caerulea have a restricted distribution in Bulgaria. They cover small areas along rivers, streams, around peat bogs in depressions where the underground waters reach the surface. The soils are shallow Leptosols, Histosols and Histic Umbrosols, poor in nutritional substances, over-wet (in most of the places throughout the whole year), swampy and strongly skeletal. The bedrock can be basic or silicate and this reflects in the species composition of the coenoses that develop on them. Molinia caerulea is a 1 m high, densely caespitose plant, with high vertical range of distribution. It rarely forms hygrophilic phytocoenoses in the Bulgarian mountains. On neutral-alkaline or alkaline soils the floristic composition is relatively rich, especially when the water regime is not constant. The most frequently occurring dominants are: Aulacomnium palustre, Eleocharis palustris, Epilobium palustre, Equisetum palustre, Glyceria fluitans, Juncus conglomeratus, J. inflexus, Lychnis flos-cuculi, Molinia caerulea, etc. Agrostis stolonifera, Carex distans, C. riparia, C. tomentosa, C. vulpina, Festuca pratensis, Juncus compressus, Mentha suaveolens, Oenanthe silaifolia, Orchis laxiflora, Poa angustifolia, Ranunculus acris, Serratula tinctoria, Silaum silaus, Triglochin palustris, etc. also occur.In the composition of the mountain meadows with Molinia caerulea that occur on acidic soils or on degraded Histosols the following species participate: Agrostis canina, A. capillaris, Anthoxanthum odoratum, Aulacomnium palustre, Briza media, Campanula patula, Carex distans, C. hirta, C. pendula, C. tomentosa, C. vesicaria, Centaurea jacea, Cerastium cerastoides, Cynosurus cristatus, Cyperus fuscus, C. rotundus, Deschampsia caespitosa, Holcus lanatus, Leontodon autumnalis, Lotus corniculatus, Myosotis scorpioides, Nardus stricta, Plantago lanceolata, Polygala comosa, Polytrichum commune, Potentilla erecta, Ranunculus acris, Rhinanthus minor, Rumex acetosa, Sanguisorba officinalis, Trifolium diffusum, T. hybridum, T. pratense etc. Some of the species that occur in such phytocoenoses are poisonous (Caltha palustris, Equisetum palustre, Potentilla reptans, Ranunculus repens) and reduce the forage quality of the meadows if they are used for hay or for grazing. In some of the phytocoenoses related to the habitat type under consideration one of the dominant species is Nardus stricta. This floristic composition does not differ significantly from this of the meadows with edificator Molinia caerulea.The phytocoenoses of Molinia caerulea belong to class Molinio-Arrhenatheretea and order Molinetalia. The associations Junco-Molinietum and Succiso-Molinietum are distributed on the Balkan Peninsula.
In some places the mountain meadows with Molinia represent a succession stage after drying-up of peats bog or swampy, stony areas.
Characteristic taxa.
- Vascular plants: Agrostis canina, A. capillaris, Anthoxanthum odoratum, Briza media, Bromus commutatus, Caltha palustris, Campanula patula, Carex distans, C. hirta, C. pendula, C. tomentosa, C. vesicaria, Centaurea jacea, Cerastium cerastoides, Crepis paludosa, Cynosurus cristatus, Cyperus fuscus, C. rotundus, Dactylorhiza incarnata, Deschampsia caespitosa, Dianthus deltoides, D. superbus, Eleocharis palustris, Epilobium alsinifolium subsp. parviflorum, E. palustre, Equisetum fluviatile, E. palustre, Gentiana pneumonanthe, Glyceria fluitans, Holcus lanatus, Inula britannica, Iris sibirica, Juncus conglomeratus, J. inflexus, Leontodon autumnalis, Lotus corniculatus, Luzula multiflora, Lychnis flos-cuculi, Molinia caerulea, Myosotis scorpioides, Nardus stricta, Ophioglossum vulgatum, Parnassia palustris, Plantago lanceolata, Polygala comosa, Potentilla erecta, Ranunculus acris, Rhinanthus minor, Rumex acetosa, Sanguisorba officinalis, Scirpus sylvaticus, Serratula tinctoria, Succisa pratensis, Trifolium diffusum, T. hybridum, T. pratense, Triglochin palustris etc.; mosses – Aulacomnium palustre, Polytrichum commune, etc.
- Fungi: Macromycetes – Laccaria laccata, Scutellinia scutellata, S. umbrorum;Micromycetes – Anthracoidea karii (on Carex echinata), Blumeria graminis (on Alopecurus pratensis), Erysiphe aquilegiae var. aquilegiae, Puccinia calthae (on Caltha palustris), E. knautiae, Septoria scabiosicola (on Succisa pratensis), Golovinomyces cichoracearum (on Inula britannica), Psilachnum equisetinum, P. inquilinum (on Equisetum palustre), Podosphaera fusca, Puccinia major (on Crepis paludosa), P. alpina (on Viola biflora), P. brachypodii (on Deschampsia caespitosa), P. caricina (on Carex acuta and C. echinata), P. scirpi (on Scirpus sylvaticus), Septoria epilobii (on Epilobium palustre), S. tinctoriae (on Serratula tinctoria).
Distribution in Bulgaria. The mountain meadows with Molinia caerulea occur in Rhodopi, Rila, Pirin, Vitosha Mts., the Balkan Range, Forebalkan, Stara Zagora region, North-East Bulgaria, etc. from 800 up to 2000 m alt.
Conservation importance. The mountain meadows with Molinia caerulea have soil-formation, soil-protection and water-regulation functions. They are an important part of the mountain biodiversity. The following plants of conservation value occur: Carex heleonastes, Galium boreale, Geum rhodopaeum, Plantago maxima, Salix rosmarinifolia, Senecio pancicii, Silaum silaus, Trollius europaeus, etc.
Threats. Use of these phytocoenoses for hay making and grazing in some places; changes in the hydrological regime.
Conservation measures taken. The habitat is included in Annex № 1 of the national Biodiversity Act. Part of these over-wet mountain meadows are within the borders of protected areas – Rila and Pirin National Parks, Vitosha Nature Park, and sites of the European Ecological Network NATURA 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Mapping and monitoring; prohibition of activities that change the hydrological regime; increase of the areas of this habitat type included in protected areas.
References. Ganchev et al. 1964; Gorunova & Kochev 1992.
Authors: Marius Dimitrov, Veska Roussakova
